Troops kill scores of bandits’ along Kaduna- Abuja expressway

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

The Nigerian military said its Land and Air Components of Operation THUNDER STRIKE have neutralized several armed bandits in a joint offensive operation to clear identified bandits’ camp around Kuku area of Kagarko Local Government Area along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway axis of Kaduna State.
The military in a statement issued yesterday by Major General, John Enenche, Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Defence Headquarters, said
the operation was executed on 17 November 2020, on the heels of credible Human Intelligence reports indicating that a cluster of huts and other structures at the location served as hideout for a notorious bandits’ leader, named “Major”, along with his fighters.
“The first wave of the Air Component’s air strikes, which involved 6 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft undertaking 5 missions in a total of 13 sorties, commenced at dawn and targeted the cluster of huts housing “Major”. The attack aircraft hit some of the target structures and neutralized some of the bandits.
“The second wave of attacks was executed by NAF helicopter gunships which, while continuing to engage the bandits’ location, also provided close air support to the Land Component as they advanced from Kagarko via Kuku into the bandits’ enclave. This paved way for the ground troops to overrun and destroy the camp without effective resistance from the bandits. A NAF Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft remained airborne providing situational awareness for the troops throughout the operation.”