Scores of suspected bandits have been neutralised by a joint team of police and military personnel during a fierce gun battle in Maikujura village, Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The operation, which took place in the early hours of Friday, also led to the recovery of two AK-47 rifles, 52 rounds of live ammunition, about 15 motorcycles and 62 rustled animals.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Sokoto State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, the operation followed credible intelligence received by the Divisional Police Officer in Rabah that a large number of armed bandits were moving towards Maikujura with rustled livestock.
Rufa’i said the bandits were allegedly heading towards their hideout in the notorious Gundumi Forest when the DPO mobilised tactical teams, including the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Violence Crime Response Unit, in collaboration with personnel from the military Forward Operating Base.
He said the security operatives strategically blocked the bandits’ route, forcing them into a confrontation that resulted in a fierce gun duel.
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“The criminals were engaged with superior firepower and tactical manoeuvring, which overwhelmed them and forced them to retreat into the nearby forest with gunshot wounds,” a security source close to the operation was quoted as saying.
The police spokesman added that security operatives subsequently combed the surrounding bushes, where they recovered the bodies of several bandits, alongside the weapons, ammunition and motorcycles abandoned during the encounter.
He said no casualties were recorded among the security personnel or villagers during the operation, adding that the owners of the recovered livestock had been identified and would be reunited with their animals.
Rufa’i said neighbouring police divisions had been placed on high alert and directed to watch out for any injured bandits who might attempt to seek medical attention or hide within their areas.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police in Sokoto State, CP Hassan Hayatu Shaffa, commended the police officers and military personnel involved in the operation for their “professionalism, bravery and swift response.”
Shaffa, according to the statement, reiterated the command’s commitment to sustained collaboration with other security agencies to rid the state of banditry and other forms of criminality.
He also appealed to residents to continue providing security agencies with timely and credible information that could assist ongoing efforts to combat banditry and protect communities across the state.
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