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From John Adams Minna
With barely one week after the air component of the Operation Whirl Punch killed over 50 bandits, including notorious ring leader and kidnap kingpin, the Joint Security Task Force in Niger State has killed 32 bandits after its camp was attacked at Mangoro village in Munya Local Government Area of the state by the bandits.
Several of the gunmen escaped with varying degrees of injuries from gunshots after almost five hours of gun battle with the joint security task force. About four of them were also arrested.
The latest incident occurred on Sunday evening, at about 5pm, when the bandits said to be numbering well over 100, and in two groups, launched the deadly attack with the intention of dislodging the joint security task force from their camp. Four members of the joint security task force were said to be missing after the gun battle.
Mangoro village had remained a transit route for bandits and other insurgents, from where they attacked communities around Tsohon Kabula, Zagzaga, pole wire, Beni, Adunu, Ishau and lately Kaffin Koro.
A source close to Sarkin pawa said the headquarters of Munya local government the bandits were suspected to be those that survived the last week airstrike that killed their comrade in crime at river Kusasu.
Our source further said it took a reinforcement of soldiers from Kaduna State, backed by the air component of the Operation Whirl Punch, to overpower the bandits, adding that “the joint task force were still combing the bush as of Monday morning to apprehend the fleeing bandits”.
When contacted, Chairman, Munya Local Government, Aminu Najume, confirmed the attack but did not give the number of those killed on both sides, stressing that”the joint task force recorded huge success and the criminals were successfully repelled”.
The chairman, who commended the members of the task force for their efforts, pointed out that the aim of the bandits was to dislodged them (the security people) from the area.
He said: “Since the establishment of the camp in the area, they (bandits) have found it difficult to launch attacks on communities in the area, and that was why they wanted to dislodge them in order to have free access. We thank God that their aim was not achieved.
Over 100 of them invaded the camp of the joint security task force, but I can tell you that they were repelled,” he added.
