Bauchi Police, Local Hunters Neutralize 6 Bandits, Recovers Arms, Ammunition

Bauchi State – Operatives of the Bauchi State Police Command joined forces with local hunter groups have neutralized six notorious bandits who had been terrorizing the residents of Ningi Local Government Area.

The State Commissioner of Police, CP Auwal Musa Muhammed, disclosed this during a press briefing at the Ningi Area Command on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.

According to him, the bandits were responsible for the killing of a traditional ruler and eight residents in Kada and Gamji villages via Ningi LGA in July this year.

CP Muhammed said that the bandits also attacked Bukutumbe village in Ningi LGA, and shot four residents before proceeding to Jigawa State where they kidnapped two wives of the chairman of Kiyawa Local Government Area.

He explained that the sum of N4m, two AK47 rifles, fifty-five live ammunition, four empty magazines, phones, 24 pieces of mobile battery, and 190 pieces of recharge cards, among other items, were recovered during the courageous operation carried out on December 26.

“Today’s press briefing is coming at the right time considering the security situation in our country. As you will all agree with me at this very moment, our security system is facing a significant challenge, consequently, all hands must be on deck to ensure a free and peaceful environment in our society,” the CP stated.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the unrelenting and aggressive counter-kidnapping strategies of the Command in the fight against kidnapping and other heinous crimes have continued to yield positive results as the operatives of the Command and other sister security agencies recorded yet another harvest of criminals and elements.

“During this organized courageous operation, the Command was able to pull apart Kidnappers/Banditry syndicates due to the intense superior firepower by the Police, in collaboration with quasi-security outfits (Ahmed Ali Kwara) so many kidnappers were neutralized while others scampered in disarray and escaped with bullet wounds into the nearby bush.

“If you may recall sometime in July 2023, eight people were killed including the traditional ruler of Kada and Gamji village via Ningi LGA and kidnapped other residents to unknown destinations.

“Consequently, the Command raised a team of detectives in conjunction with quasi-security outfits, (Ahmed Ali Kwara) and successfully engaged the Kidnappers/Bandits in a gun duel, on 26th December 2023, at about 0403hrs and neutralized six (6) of the kidnappers,”

The police operatives recovered the following items during the operation; two (2) AK47 rifles, fifty-five (55) live ammunition, four empty magazines, four million five hundred and eighty thousand naira (4.580,000,00) recovered from the kidnappers’ den as an exhibit, one Golf three 3 blue, seven (7) new Aitel sim cards, three (3) Tecno keypad phones, two (2) itel keypad phones and one Bontel keypad phone.

“The following are the stolen items recovered by the kidnappers; seven (7) Tecno Android phones, four (4) Infinix Android phones, four (4) Tecno keypad phones, twenty-four (24) pieces of mobile battery, one hundred and ninety (190) pieces of recharge cards both MTN and Aitel networks. Six (6) suspected kidnappers were neutralized.”

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the bandits within two weeks invaded three villages around Ningi, including Bukutumbe, Iyayi, Kayadda, and Gamji village, where they shot four (4) people and killed one member of Vigilante at Bukutumbe, and proceeded to Kiyawa LGA, Jigawa State where they kidnapped two wives of the Chairman Kiyawa LGA, Jigawa State.

“It’s worthy to note that the groundbreaking record of the Command would be attributed to the strategic review of the Command operations through a robust partnership with Ahmed Ali Kwara hunters group with headquarters in Azare town.

“May I intimate members of the public that the Command is ready to deploy both human and material assets available at its disposals to confront crime and criminality in the State, it is also pertinent to emphasize here that no form of crime will be ignored with the prior consent of the Command.”