Troops Kill Three Arm Smugglers In Sokoto, Recover Weapons

As parts of efforts to rid the nation of bandits, troops of Operation Sahel Sanity have smashed a notorious illegal arms smuggling syndicate in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The suspects – Alhaji Adamu Alhassan, Salisu Adamu and Abdullahi Sani were killed by the troops following credible intelligence.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by the Acting Director of Defence Media Operations, Brigadier General Benard Onyeuko.

The suspects were said to be citizens of the Republic of Niger.

“In what could be described as an unprecedented stride, gallant troops of Operation SAHEL SANITY deployed at Forward Operation Base Sabon Birni LGA of Sokoto State on 15 August 2020 after a painstaking undercover operation successfully smashed a notorious illegal arms smuggling syndicate who specialize in massive arms supply to bandits in the North West from across the international borders,” the statement partly read.

Items recovered from the suspects include six AK-47 Rifles, three AK-47 Rifle magazines and 2,415 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition deceptively concealed in various parts of their vehicle.

The military authorities said preliminary investigation revealed that the dangerous consignment was meant for some bandits in Isah Local Government Area of the state.

According to them, a swift interception by the troops prevented the further loss of lives of innocent people of the state.

Similarly, troops destroyed 12 bandit camps at Yobe Baranda in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State last week Wednesday.

Following the clearance operation, three bandits were killed in the process with others fleeing with “various degrees of gunshot wounds.”

Troops successfully “arrested a suspected bandit named, Shehu Abdullahi while spying on traders’ activities in the market with the intent of organizing for their kidnap.”