Troops of Operation Sanity of the Nigerian Army have killed four bandits during a clearance operation in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the troops encountered the bandits in the Alawa and Kwaga general areas of Birnin Gwari and immediately engaged them in a fierce gun battle, during which two of the criminals were neutralized.
The troops also recovered two AK-47 rifles, three magazines, three motorcycles and one Baofeng Radio from the bandits.
Also rescued by the troops were 13 hostages from a kidnappers hideout in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
According to Aruwan, the rescue of the kidnap victims was prompted by credible human intelligence that bandits were moving kidnapped victims into the area, which made troops quickly engage them in a shoot-out, thereby forcing the bandits to abandon their victims.
In a similar operation, troops of Sector 6 of Operation Whirl Punch conducting fighting patrols around Nakwakina village in Giwa Local Government Area neutralised two bandits who had been terrorising residents of the area.
The troops, through credible intelligence, laid ambush along a likely terrorist route, and on sighting the bandits, engaged them in a gun battle resulting in two neutralized while the rest of them escaped with bullet wounds.
In another mission, troops of Sector 3 of Operation Whirl Punch deployed along Kwaga-Polewire Road also in Birnin-Gwari, responded to a distress call and intercepted bandits who had kidnapped locals near Polewire village.
On sighting the troops, the bandits fled the scene and abandoned the 20 kidnapped victims in their custody.
According to the commissioner, the rescued victims have been reunited with their families.
He said Governor Uba Sani has commended the military led by the General Officer Commanding the One Mechanized Division, Major General Mayirenso Saraso, for the notable breakthroughs and rescue of kidnapped victims in the Birnin-Gwari general area.
The governor also urged the troops to sustain the momentum against bandits and insurgents in Kaduna State and other surrounding areas.
