A joint operation by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the military in Niger state has resulted in the dislodging of scores of heavily armed bandits believed to be loyal to terrorist kingpins, Dogo Gide and Leyi.
Security sources stated that the operation began Tuesday when the terrorists stormed Chibani village in Munya local government area of the state. They reportedly killed one Ayuba Isah and left two other persons, one policeman and one Alhaji Shuaibu, with gunshot wounds.
The source said on Wednesday, bandits believed to be numbering over 200, brandishing sophisticated weapons, stormed a security base in Kuchi, a town in Munya local government area.
According to the source who didn’t want to be named, the fierce gun battle that ensued led to the elimination of scores of the bandits, with many others fleeing with various degree of injuries.
The security source listed re-enforcement from Galadima Kogo to Kuchi as a major factor that helped weaken the bandits.
Another security source, claimed he saw seeing herds of cattle, believed to have been rustled, crossing the Kusasu river in Galadima Kogo District, Shiroro LGA, advancing towards a place believed to be their hideout in Borisudna/Kwaki axis in the same Shiroro.
He said DSS operatives and soldiers of the Nigerian Army in the area had contacted the Nigeria Air Force for aerial support, and expressed optimism that the Airforce would be able to smoke out the remainder of the fleeing bandits.