We lost one officer, killed 6 bandits in Niger – Police

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger state Monday held a closed door meeting with traditional rulers, heads of security agencies and religious leaders on the security situation in the state.

The meeting held few hours after the police engaged bandits in exchange of fire in which an Inspector of police lost his life while six bandits were killed.

The encounter was said to have occurred about 14: 45 hours Sunday in Muchiya Kaji village in Bangi area of Mariga local government of Niger state where the bandits attempted to rustle some cows.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Niger state Police Command, DSP Mohammed Abubakar, confirmed the incident in a statement in Minna and identified the dead police officer as Inspector, Ibrahim Mitra Chibok.

He stated that while three bandits were killed in the Muchiya Kaji encounter, three other bandits earlier fell to the superior fire of police in another encounter in  Dankolo village in the same Mariga LGA within 24 hours interval.

He said, “on 16th February, 2020 at about 1445 hours, a distress call was put across to a Joint Police/Military team in Bangi Area under Mariga LGA of Niger state that some armed bandits suspected to be cattle rustlers stormed Muchiya Kaji village of Mariga LGA and were about to rustle cattle.”

“The team responded quickly and engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle, fatally wounded three armed bandits forcing other bandits to abandon the cattle and fled to the bush. One AK-47 rifle and one Bajaj motorcycle were recovered as exhibits, but unfortunately, one Police Inspector, Ibrahim Mitra Chibok, attached to Niger state police command, died during the encounter, two officers sustained gun wounds and are receiving treatment.  The Police are on the trail of the armed bandits”.

The deceased Inspector, according to the PPRO, was among the same team that engaged armed bandits and cattle rustlers on 14th February, 2020, who invaded Dankolo village in the same Mariga LGA, recovered 13 cattle and killed three armed bandits, adding that the corpses of the bandits had been deposited at General Hospital, Bangi.

Blueprint learnt that the governor at the meeting charged security agencies to redouble efforts at flushing out the bandits while pledging to made more logistics available. He was also said to have directed traditional rulers to assist security agencies with useful information in the battle against the bandits.

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