Security operatives have successfully repelled armed bandits who opened fire on motorists along the Kaduna-Abuja Road in the northern part of the country.
The assailants were engaged in a gunfight with troops of the Nigerian Army and personnel of the Nigeria Police deployed on the expressway.
Mr Samuel Aruwan, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in Kaduna, confirmed this in a statement on Friday.
The commissioner who visited the scene disclosed that the incident occurred in the afternoon near the Olam Feeds Company.
He explained that those who were injured were immediately referred to a specialist hospital for comprehensive medical attention.
Aruwan added that security forces – both ground and air – have gone after remnants of the armed bandits in the adjoining forest.
“The Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has been briefed on the development,” he stated.
According to the commissioner, the governor praised the security personnel for their exceptional courage and bravery in repelling the armed bandits.
He wished the injured personnel and motorists speedy recovery and praised medical personnel at the Olam Clinic for stabilising the injured.
Governor El-Rufai gave an assurance that the state government would continue to partner with security agencies in the battle against bandits and criminals.
The incident followed air strikes conducted by the air component of Operation Thunder Strike during which several armed bandits were killed, and their camps disrupted in the Kuduru and Kwaimbana forest areas of the state.
This was achieved through separate air strikes carried out on 2 and 3 September 2020 on the heels of credible intelligence reports indicating that the 2 locations were being used as staging areas by the bandits.
The Coordinator of Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, noted in a statement that the feat was recorded in separate airstrikes carried out on Wednesday and Thursday following credible intelligence reports indicating that the two locations were being used as staging areas by the bandits
