° Community celebrates successful operation
In what could be described as a major breakthrough in the war against bandits in Niger State, well over 100 bandits were successful neutralised on Tuesday at Udara-Chifu village, Rijau Local Government Area ( LGA)of the state.
The bandits met their Waterloo when they had attempted to rustle cattle from the village, a distance of about 20 kilometers from Rijau Town.
The soldiers who were mobilized to the Rijau only last week after the bandits in their hundreds raided the town in a broaday light, rustling unspecified number of cattle; looted shops and Point of Service (POS), sweetly responded to a distress call from the community.
According to a source close to Rijau, the bandits were attacked from both the air and on ground, blocking all their escape routes in an operation that lasted over four hours.
Sophisticated arms and ammunition were recovered from the bandits as their bodies and motorcycles littered all over the bush in the community.
“The bandits were over 100 in number and non of them escaped. The soldiers attacked them from the air and on the ground, there was no escape route for them.
“The soldiers fought with them for over four hours because we were hearing the sound of the guns shots for more than four hours. Those of them who tried to escape, ran into the group troops”, our source said.
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It was further gathered that as at yesterday, the bodies of those killed were littered in the bush in the community.
“As we speak the bodies of the bandits are still there in the bush. We have counted over 100 bodies and many are still in the bush.
“Some of them that sustained gun shots injuries and tried to escaped later died in the bus. Some bodies were seen in the farms around the community.
“It was a huge success recorded by the soldiers. Majority of the bandits were those that attacked Rijau town on Tuesday last week in a broaday light”, he added.
The bandits in their numbers invaded Rijau town, the headquarters of Rijau LG on Tuesday last week and held the people hostage, looting shops and houses without resistance.
For over three hours, bandits held sway, leaving tales of woos among the people.
The bandits, riding on motorcycles invaded the town at about 1:15pm;operated until 3:30pm and made away with unspecified numbers cows and other animals.
As at time of filing this report there has not being any statement from either the state government and the Army ,but the residents of community were seen in varial video hailing the soldiers for the successful operations.
All attempts to get the reaction of the Council Chairman, Mallam Danladi Kombo Uganda was not successful as he was not picking his calls.
