Hoodlums planned to disrupt Independence Day Celebration – Military

The Military High Command on Thursday revealed that hoodlums who had planned to disrupt the just-concluded 62nd Independence Day Celebration were apprehended by troops of the Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army, on October 1.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Musa Danmadami, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja, on Thursday, explained that the hoodlums gathered at Karshi Hill and surrounding villages in the Federal Capital Territory before their plans were thwarted.

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Danmadami said the troops raided the hill and the villages following an intelligence report about their plans to disrupt the celebration, adding that 64 suspects were arrested. He further noted that most of the suspects who are youths were dressed in black attire and they were armed with nine locally made guns.

The senior military officer said the troops also raided an identified illegal drug peddler’s hideout along Koroduma-Asokoro Guzape in Abuja Municipal Area Council of the territory on September 25 and arrested five suspected drug dealers.

According to him, the suspects were apprehended with 11 bags of substances suspected to be cannabis Sativa.

He added, “In another development, 33 suspected illegal miners were arrested at an illegal mining site at Gwagwalada Area Council. All apprehended suspects were handed over to the Nigeria Police, FCT Command for further action.”

Speaking on the release of the remaining 23 Abuja-Kaduna train victims, Danmadami said the victims release was secured through non-kinetic means executed by the presidential committee, saying the details of the release would be made public in due course.