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The Nigerian army on Sunday rejected the relationships according to which the bandits invaded the troops to Obanla, in the state of Kwara, bringing away heavy weapons and ammunition, insisting on the fact that its operational bases remain intact.
An online platform had reported that the armed group, which was connected to the recent killings in the state of Kogi, presumably seized at least six machine guns for general use (GPMG) and over 30,000 shots of soldiers during an ambush in Kwara last month.
Citing a senior military source, the report stated that the ray of weapons has increased the ability of the bandits that now terrify the communities in the area of the western local government of Yagba in Kogi, where the residents fled en masse following incessant attacks.
But reacting in a declaration, deputy director of the public relations of the army, 2 division, Lieutenant Colonel Polycarp Okoye, described the relationship as a false and designed to “dispel the public and undermine the morale of the galand troops”.
According to him, the troops of 148 Battalion (rear), currently deployed in authorization operations in the States of Kogi and Kwara, recorded “important operational successes”, including the neutralization of two armed bandits and the recovery of two AK-47 rifles of two brands along the border axis of Kwara-Ekiti.
“In no case were our positions invaded or any cache of weapons lost for criminal elements, as presumed. Our troops remain fully in control of their operating areas,” said Okoye.
He urged the members of the public to ignore the “misleading publication” and instead to support the military with credible intelligence to help the countertoped efforts in the region of the Central North.
Despite the denial of the army, the communities of Kwara and nearby Kogi remain under siege. Last week, armed men invaded Bareke to Egbe, Yagba West, who kidnapped a woman and her two children after injuring her husband in a midnight raid.
The attack followed an accident similar to Ejiba, where the bandits diverted a commercial bus and kidnapped all passengers. In another assault, a motorcyclist was killed and three people kidnapped by Bethel Farm in the same area of the Council.
On September 26, the videos obtained by the Saharareporter showed Okunran, another Yagba West community, deserted while the residents fled into mass after repeated attacks.
The video revealed abandoned houses and deserted streets, underlining the growing humanitarian crisis in the area.
The army, however, reiterated its determination to support the momentum of the operations until what described as “criminal networks” in Kwara, Kogi and the surrounding states are dismantled.
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