Operatives of Operation Hadarin Daji said they have killed no fewer than 29 bandits in an onslaught carried out by the troops in Moriki forest of Zamfara.
Public Relations Officers of the operation, Lt. Oni Orisun disclosed this in Gusau on Thursday.
According to him, the troops targeted the bandits after they failed to respond to the 24-hour ultimatum issued by the Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Jide Ogunlade for them to surrender and embrace peace.
Recall that Ogunlade had on Tuesday told the bandits to surrender or face ‘unprecedented fire force.’ He had also lamented the failure of the bandits to accept amnesty offered in May by Gov. Bello Matawalle.
Orisun said: “The Force Commander was clear and did not mince words when he said the operation will land heavily on them after the expiration of the ultimatum.
“The Moriki general area was professionally cordoned and offered no escape route which led to the bandits returning fire against our operatives.
“That action led to two soldiers and one mobile policeman paying the supreme price with their dear lives.
“The death of the three saddened all the operatives especially the Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Jide Ogunlade, who however, expressed determination, confidence and ability of the operation to fully contain banditry in the state.”
Meanwhile, an eyewitness to part of the operation, Lawali Moriki told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in an interview that “we saw a lot of movement by security men more than usual these past days.
“This was followed by heavy gunfire from all parts of the bushes in our locality and we have seen many bodies of the bandits being packed in security vehicles.”
