The operatives of Operation Hadarin Daji of the Nigerian Army killed 29 bandits in an onslaught carried out by the troops in Moriki forest of Zamfara State in northern Nigeria.
The Public Relations Officers of the operation, Lt. Oni Orisun, said in Gusau on Thursday that the troops moved against the bandits after they failed to embrace the 24-hour ultimatum issued by the Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Jide Ogunlade, for them to surrender and embrace peace.
“The Force Commander was clear and did not mince words when he said the operation will land heavily on them after the expiration of the ultimatum.
“The Moriki general area was professionally cordoned and offered no escape route which led to the bandits returning fire against our operatives,’’ he said.
He said that two soldiers and one mobile policeman died in the operation.
“The death of the three saddened all the operatives, especially the Force Commander, who, however, expressed determination, confidence and ability of the operation to fully contain banditry in the state,” Orisun said.
The Force Commander had on Tuesday warned the bandits that they would be smoked out of their hideouts if they failed to surrender.
Ogunlade had expressed disappointment in the failure of the bandits to accept amnesty offered in May by Gov. Bello Matawalle, noting that some of them even tried to hoodwink the state government with a fake surrender.
MM/GIK/APA