Soldiers intensify operations in north-central, kill bandit in Benue, recover AK-47 in Nasarawa

Troops of the joint task force, Operation Whirl Stroke, have intensified intelligence-driven operations across parts of Benue and Nasarawa states, killing an armed bandit and arresting several criminal suspects.

The task force said the operations were conducted through aggressive fighting patrols based on actionable intelligence received from local sources.

On February 3, troops of sector 1, Operation Whirl Stroke, acting on credible intelligence on the activities of armed herders, moved to Ayamba village in Katsina-Ala local government area of Benue state in collaboration with personnel of the Nigeria police force and the Benue state civil protection guard.

The task force said contact was made with the armed elements on arrival at the village, leading to a brief engagement during which one armed bandit was killed.

It added that troops recovered one AK-47 rifle, three rounds of 7.62mm x 39 special ammunition and two magazines from the scene.

In a related operation on February 4, troops of sector 2 deployed at patrol base Agyaragu in Nasarawa state received intelligence from a local hunter on the presence of suspected armed robbers along the Asupe–Ome road in Obi local government area.

Acting on the information, the troops moved to the area and arrested one suspect, identified as Adam Paul, 34, while one AK-47 rifle was recovered.

Preliminary interrogation, according to the task force, revealed that the suspect obtained the weapon from one Tela Obu, a resident of Duduguru community in Obi LGA, while two other suspects fled the scene and are currently at large.

Also on February 4, troops of the COAS intervention battalion IX deployed at Agbaragba in Benue state responded to a distress call over the mobilisation of youths to rustle cattle in Agagbe community.

The troops said they discovered several dead cattle at different locations on arrival and arrested three suspects in connection with the incident, who were handed over to the police in Naka for further investigation.

On February 5, troops at forward operating base Agbagbe again acted on intelligence that some youths were butchering rustled cattle meat inside a residential building in Agagbe community.

The task force said two suspects were arrested at the scene with mutilated meat believed to have been obtained from rustled cattle and taken into custody for investigation and possible prosecution.

Speaking on the operations, Moses Gara, Force Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke, commended the troops for their “resilience, vigilance and aggressive posture” in denying criminals freedom of action.

Gara said the successes recorded align with directives from the military high command to scale up intelligence-led fighting patrols, while urging the troops to sustain the momentum.

He also appreciated local communities and other security agencies for their cooperation, saying their support contributed significantly to the achievements recorded by the task force.