14th May 2024
Soldiers attached to the military Operation Whirl Punch in Kaduna State have neutralised a notorious bandit leader, identified as Dogo Bangaje, alongside three of his lieutenants.
The Kaduna State Overseeing Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said the terrorists were killed over the weekend during the military fighting patrols in the Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Aruwan, in a press statement on Monday in Kaduna, said the troops conducted the special fighting patrol first to Tumburku Village and then projected the same to Sabon Sara, both in the troubled Giwa LGA.
He added that acting on credible intelligence, the troops sighted bandits fleeing the latter location and gave them a spirited chase.
Items recovered from the bandits, according to the commissioner, were a motorcycle, a mobile phone, gas lighters, tobacco, assorted charms, and a polythene bag containing petrol.
The commissioner said another leg of the operation was conducted at Basurfe village, southwest of Kindandan.
“The troops fought through an ambush and forced the bandits to flee on motorcycles,” he said, adding that “A vigorous pursuit resulted in two more bandits being neutralised. The troops further exploited the area and dislodged a camp serving as a treatment area for the insurgents.”
Aruwa added items recovered at the location, including two AK-47 rifles, one pump-action rifle, three magazines, 16 rounds of ammunition, one Improvised Explosive Device, two radios and one motorcycle, as well as cigarettes, drugs and medical accessories.
“The reports revealed that one of the bandits neutralised in the operations was a notorious bandit leader Dogo Bangaje, who was eliminated alongside a close associate yet to be identified,” he added.
The commissioner quoted the state governor, Senator Uba Sani, as praising the gallantry of the troops under the leadership of GOC 1 Division and Commander, Operation Whirl Punch, Maj. Gen. MLD Saraso.
The governor urged the security forces to sustain the momentum towards flushing out criminal elements from the area.
The commissioner said, “Citizens are urged to report suspicious persons seeking medical attention in the general area to the Kaduna State Security Operations Room, via the lines 09034000060 and 08170189999.”
