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The Special Task Force (STF) has arrested six suspected bandits that killed five soldiers in Plateau State.
Commander of the STF,also known as Operations Safe Haven (OPSH), Maj-Gen. Augustine Agundu, while parading the suspects in Jos, yesterday, said they were arrested during a raid at Bet village in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
Agundu gave the name of the suspects as, Muhammed Abubakar, Abduallahi Abubakar, Habib Abubakar, Marina Dandash, Saidu Abdullah and Mrs Salamatu Saiyit.
He said that the suspects confessed to have been involved in the attack on troops at Betzak Village in Barkin Ladi.
“These suspects being paraded with one Mrs Salamatu Saiyit whose husband, Auwal Zakaria, concealed an AK 47 rifle loaded with 20 rounds of 7.62mm in his residence revealed their involvement in the attack on troops at Nding-Sesut which led to the death of three soldiers on the September 6
“Preliminary interrogation also revealed their involvement in attacks on troops at Fan District in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area and Kwanan Fulani in Riyom Local Government Area that led to the death of two soldiers “The deductions of the investigations made startling revelation that this assumed bandits have a regional connection with other bandits across North Central Region of the country,” Gen. Agundu said.
He said that in the course of conducting raids, troops apprehended Emmanuel Sunday, a suspected armed robber at Utan Jos with locally fabricated firearm.
Agundu, said the suspect confessed to involvement in phone snatching and dispossessing commuters of valuables along a stretch of winding road between Utan and Rock Haven in Jos.
“Soldiers also busted a criminal gang network specializing in dispossessing unsuspecting persons while commuting in their tricycle. On October 7, troops arrested Martins Obioha and Henry Okezie while trying to disposes Mrs. Mary Ezekiel of an undisclosed amount of money while commuting through Rukuba Road in Jos. The rider of the tricycle on sighting own surveillance operation fled but was later arrested,” he said.
