By Olayemi Esan
A notorious
militia leader, Keffas Aondofa popularly known as Azonto has been
arrested by the troops in an aggressive operation at Jalingo, the Taraba
State capital.
Acting Director, Defence Media Operations
Brig. Gen. Benard Onyeuko, made the revelation on Thursday while
briefing Defence Correspondents on the operational activities of the
armed forces of between 2 and 30 September 2021 in Abuja.
The
Defence mouthpiece said that Azonto, who took over leadership of the
late Gana’s militia gang, has been terrorizing and imposing levies on
locals in the State and has been on the wanted list of Operation Whirl
Stroke and other security forces.
Onyeuko also disclosed that
within the period, the troops have continued to flush out armed bandits
and other criminal elements to create a peaceful atmosphere in Benue,
Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna and Taraba States.
"In the course of
the operations within the period under review, a total of 15 armed
bandits were neutralized, while 23 AK-47 rifles with magazines as well
as 66 rounds of 7.62mm special and 39mm ammunition were recovered", he
said.
Onyeuko also said troops of Operation Whirl Stroke
maintained their aggressive postures, while the Air Component dominated
the airspace by maintaining surveillance patrols.
He disclosed
that troops of Operations Whirl Stroke, Thunder Strike/Whirl Punch and
Safe Haven in the North West Zone also conducted several operations to
curb criminalities in their area of responsibility.
Similarly,
troops of Operation Safe Haven arrested a gunrunner and impostor named,
Saliu Ibrahim at Mailafiya village in Jama’a LGA of Kaduna State
alongside 2 other drug peddlers with 320 parcels of cannabis sativa
worth Nine Million and Six Hundred Thousand Naira, stocked in a vehicle
were also arrested.
He added that troops also swiftly
mobilized to forestall farmers/herders’ clash over farm encroachment and
destruction by herders’ cattle at Jebbu Miango village in Bassa LGA of
Plateau State where two of the armed herdsmen were arrested in the
process.
In the same vein, a total of 14 locally fabricated
rifles, 27 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 14 cartridges and 44 rounds of
7.62mm NATO ammunition among other items were recovered in the course of
the operations within the period.
Onyeuko said on 5 September
2021, offensive airstrikes were executed, using a force pack of
Nigerian Air Force platforms, on a bandits’ camp at Kuza Hills, leading
to the destruction of some of the criminals’ hideouts and logistics
facilities and more than 43 armed bandits neutralized in the process.
Also, over 40 armed bandits were neutralized at Fadaman Kanauta in Kidandan forest under Giwa LGA of Kaduna State.
In
a 3-day intensive air offensives on bandits’ enclaves at the location
between 13 and 15 September 2021, troops of Operation Thunder
Strike/Whirl Punch destroyed several structures that housed the bandits
along with their logistics installations and supplies.
In
addition, troops neutralized 3 armed bandits around Kasamari Bridge
along Kaduna – Abuja Highway and recovered 3 AK-47 rifles with magazines
and 48 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.
Troops of the
Armed Forces of Nigeria had sustained the upscale in the rate of
operational efforts across various theatres in the Country.
