In efforts to combat the activities of bandits in Niger State, the state government has engaged the services of spiritualists and local hunters; that killed 40 bandits terrorising innocent citizens in the Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.
4wardwego learnt that the first operation the local hunters embarked on; which a 70-year-old female spiritualist in Zuguruma, in the Mashegu LGA led; they killed no fewer than 40 bandits in an encounter which the villagers said lasted for just 30 minutes.
A commander of the bandits and three others who were said to have gone to town to buy recharge cards; and other basic needs for the group were arrested and handed over to the state police command.
One of the villagers simply called Mallam Alhassan, who narrated in Hausa how the operation went, said on approaching the location of the bandits; the woman instructed that the hunters should shoot into the air to draw the bandits out.
“On hearing the gunshots, the bandits were said to have returned fire until they exhaust their bullets; and the hunters subsequently descended on them and killed 40 of them,” she said.
She said no casualty was recorded on the side of the hunters.
In the meantime, the Second-in-Command to the Police Public Relations Officer, Uthman Umar, said he was making effort to reach the police division in the area where the incident occurred.
Recently, 1st News reported that the Kaduna State Police Command rescued no fewer than eight passengers; abducted on Wednesday afternoon along Kaduna-Zaria highway.
The police operatives also rescued three workers of Airtel Communications Company kidnapped on Tuesday; and nine others kidnapped on Jan. 14 when bandits attacked the convoy of the Emir of Potiskum.
The police, however, said in the Wednesday’s attack; they shot two of the bandits dead and all the eight abducted passengers rescued.
According to the force’s spokesman, Yakubu Sabo, the victims were travelling to Abuja from Kano; when the bandits forcefully stopped their Sharon vehicle.
According to Sabo, the police responded quickly after receiving information from its DPO in Mararraban Jos; at about 3pm that bandits had blocked the Kaduna-Zaria highway and abducted eight persons.
“On receipt of the information, the Command mobilized teams of operatives with some Armoured Personnel Carrier to the area; engaged the attackers, successfully gunned down two of the bandits and rescued all the eight victims unhurt; while many other bandits escaped with bullet wounds,” he said.
