Army destroys bandits’ camps in Zamfara, rescue 75 kidnapped victims

The Nigerian Army, in operation Sharan Daji, has neutralised 58 bandits and rescued 75 kidnapped victims at the Dumburum and Gando forests in Zamfara.

In a release by the operation’s Acting Force Information Officer, Major Clement Abiade, the troops encountered the bandits and fought them till the “bandits were forced to abandon their camps due to superior firepower during these encounters.”

“On 20 January 2019, troops came into contact with a large gang of bandits armed with sophisticated firearms and Rocket Propelled grenades at Dumburum and Gando forests leading to fierce gun battles which lasted several hours.”

According to Abiade, the army recovered 5 Fabric National Rifles, 4 AK Rifles, 10 locally made rifles, 1 locally fabricated pistol and 40 motorcycles from the bandits.

During the raid, though the troops destroyed 18 camps and freed the kidnapped victims from local communities in Zamfara State, they lost two soldiers and two members of the vigilante. Eight soldiers and six vigilantes also sustained various degrees of gunshot injuries.

According to the statement, the wounded were immediately evacuated to the Federal Medical Centre, Gusau for medical treatment, while those with life-threatening conditions were evacuated by air for specialist attention outside the theatre of operation.

The Force Commander of the operation, Maj Gen SO Olabanji commiserated with families of the fallen heroes and assured them that their sacrifices will not be in vain. He also restated the Army’s commitment to rid Zamfara State of all forms of banditry and criminality.