Troops of 1 Division of the Nigerian Army (NA) in Udawa have carried out a fighting patrol on Udawa – Kurebe road and neutralised seven terrorists, recovering weapons and motorcycles.
The incident occurred when they came in contact with terrorists in the area.
In a statement issued by the acting deputy director of Army Public Relations 1 Division Nigerian Army, Lt- -Col. Musa Yahaya, said during the aggressive patrol, the troops made contact with insurgents and terrorist elements and engaged them with a heavy volume of fire leading to the annihilation of seven terrorists.
He said the items recovered during the encounter included one pump action gun, six cartridges, one empty AK 47 rifle magazine, one MP3 radio, one phone battery, two Baofeng radios, two Baofeng radio chargers, four memory cards, two sim cards, and four charms.
He also disclosed that troops of the Division deployed at Sabo Birni in Igabi local government area of Kaduna State intercepted suspected movement of terrorist elements at Baka general area on May 19, 2024. The troops swiftly mobilised to the area and engaged the terrorists.
“In the fire fight that ensued, the terrorists who could not withstand the superior fire power of the troops cowardly fled to nearby hills in disarray with several degrees of gunshot wounds. The troops exploited the general area and recovered one AK 47 rifle and two motorcycles while blood stains were seen all over the scene of the incident.
“Similarly, troops of the Division while lying in wait at Kwaga village in Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna State made contact with terrorist elements and neutralised two of the criminals. The items recovered from them included two AK 47 rifles, two magazines, and two motorcycles,” he said.
Meanwhile, the general officer commanding (GOC) 1 Division Nigerian Army and commander of “Operation Whirl Punch”, Maj Gen M.L.D. Saraso commended the troops for their aggressive posture and charged them to sustain the tempo and make life unbearable for terrorists, insurgents, violent extremists and their cohorts.
He also appealed to all law-abiding citizens to report to the Nigerian Army or the nearest security agency personnel seen with gunshot wounds seeking medical attention.
The GOC charged the people of Kaduna and Niger states to avail the army and other security agencies with timely and actionable intelligence for prompt action.