By Joy Baba
The Defence Headquarters on Sunday said the military assault on camps of armed militia in Kaduna and Plateau had led to the recovery of arms and some stolen livestock.
This is contained in a statement issued by Maj.- Gen. Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information and Coordinator of Joint Information Centre, Counter terrorism Campaign, in Abuja.
“The operations in some communities in Plateau and Kaduna states resulted in the arrest of three wounded armed men after the encounter in which some of them died.
“Over 90 cows and 45 sheep believed to have been rustled were also recovered in addition to weapons in the communities.
“Another 50 cows have also been recovered from rustlers who attacked herdsmen in another location,’’ it stated.
It stated that the recovered cows had been handed over to the traditional rulers in the areas, while the arrested armed men were still being interrogated.
According to the statement, six rifles, 25 Dane guns and 10 locally-fabricated pistols and four revolvers, were recovered in encounters with militias in parts of Plateau and Kaduna states.
The statement stated that traditional rulers in the areas had been cautioned against shielding or harbouring armed gangs in their domains.
It stated that the warning was in view of the security implications to their communities and the nation at large.
“Armed gangs have been engaging troops in gun battle as the forests are being combed for remnant of criminal elements that have been wrecking havoc in various communities of the North-Central.’
It said search of identified locations was ongoing.
The statement added that various rifle parts, empty ammunition boxes were recovered in Shendam, Yelwa and the house of a suspected arms dealer at the border between Plateau and Taraba.
