Following the Nigerian military’s combined ground and air operation that killed 70 armed bandits and cattle rustlers in Kachia forest of Kaduna State on Friday, Daily Trust gathered from villages around Kachia and Chikun Local Government Areas that they observed military planes hovering around the forest area and heard explosions during the operation.
Major General John Enenche, the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations at the Defence Headquarters, had said the troops of Operation Thunder Strike under Operation Accord in conjunction with troops of the 312 Artillery Regiment and vigilante members had conducted a clearance patrol on the forest and pursued the bandits through Gidan Maikeri village in Chikun LGA.
Daily Trust reports that Kachia, in Kaduna South, shares a boundary with Chikun, in Kaduna Central.
Having spoken to villagers and community leaders in Kachia and Chikun, our correspondent reports that the military operation had caused panic in nearby communities.
A community leader in Udawa town of Chikun LGA, Mohammad Umar, told Daily Trust that the military operation had taken place west of Udawa village around the forest of Unguwar Makeri on Friday.
“The area has been under the control of the bandits because all villages around the forest area have been deserted for years.
“The bandits chased the people away and occupied the territory in large numbers, serving as their base,” he said.
“We also learnt that many of the bandits were killed due to the air operation because some of our local vigilante men took part in the operation.
“This is something I can confirm.
“Our vigilantes and those of other neighbouring villages were part of the operation.
“We heard the sound of explosions and saw the military planes which made several u-turns around our village airspace,” he further said.
Sources from Kankum village in Kachia also told our correspondents that the security agents had arrested an elderly man suspected to be an informant of the bandits.
Our correspondent reports that on February 5, 2020, the Police combined team of Operation Puff Adder, backed by the Special Forces of the Police Air-wing, had launched an attack on the largest operational camps of the Ansaru Terror Group located in Kuduru Forest, Birnin Gwari, and neutralised over 250 terrorists.
Soon after the operation, our correspondent reports that bandits had launched attacks on Bakali in Giwa LGA, which shares a boundary with Birnin Gwari LGA, killing 21 people.
Attacks in the general area had culminated into a coordinated attack on five villages including Kerewa, Zariyawa, Hashimawa, Unguwan Musa and Marin villages in Igabi and Giwa LGA on March 1, 2020, which claimed 51 lives.
Both Giwa and Igabi share boundary with Birnin Gwari LGA.
