Troops have neutralised activities of some bandits in Zamfara, in an operation to rid the state of criminal elements.
The troops also captured one of the bandits alive.
A statement by Maj. Clement Abiade, the Acting Force Information Officer of the ongoing Operation Sharan Daji, however, said two soldiers and two members of the vigilante were killed in the encounter.
Abiade said eight other soldiers and six vigilantes sustained various degrees of gunshot injuries.
According to him, troops also rescued 75 people taken captives by the bandits after destroying 18 of their camps in the state.
He said that the freed captives mostly from local communities in Zamfara, had been debriefed and reunited with their families.
Abiade listed items recovered from the bandits to include five Fabric National Rifles, four AK Rifles, 10 locally made rifles, one locally fabricated pistol and 40 motorcycles.
He said clearance operations of bandits’ enclaves in Zamfara and Katsina States which began on Jan. 20 would continue till June.
WikkiTimes’ investigation in December 2018 reveals that complicity by politicians, security agencies and some traditional rulers has exacerbated the conflict in the state.
Zamfara has been in crisis since 2011, and estimates of casualties documented that over 3000 people have been killed so far.
