Gunmen kill councillor, vigilante leader, four others in Plateau, Katsina
• Police cordon off Taraba bomb scene
In continuation of Operation Lake Sanity, MNJTF troops, comprising Nigeria and Niger Republic forces, have made major incursions into terrorist’s enclave at Forward Operations Base (FOB), Arege.
Conducting clearance operations, in close coordination with the Air Task Force (ATF), they killed 20 terrorists and lost one gallant officer.
The ATF identified intelligence-driven targets, which they engaged using multiple sorties in the vicinity of Tumbun Fulani and Tumbun Rago, where about twenty terrorists were neutralised.
The Chief of Military Public Information, Headquarters of MNJTF, Ndjamena, Col. Muhammad Dole, said: “Ground forces then advanced and reached Tunbun Fulani, but could not access Tunbun Rago due to marshy terrain. The criminals, on sighting the advancing troops, fled and abandoned their checkpoint, pulled off their uniforms and left their rifles and other equipment behind.
“Sadly, one soldier paid the supreme sacrifice and few others were wounded in action, currently receiving treatment at a military hospital.”
WHILE simultaneously attacking three communities in Malumfashi Local Council, Katsina State, yesterday, gunmen killed three persons, including a councillor, Nasir Magaji.
Residents of the communities also claimed that the gunmen abducted several people, including two women, during the attacks on Dutsen Reme Low-Cost Funtua, Gozaki Village in Kafur and Dan Rimi community of Malumfashi.
Magaji was recently elected to represent Gozaki Ward in Kafur Local Council.
GUNMEN, also, on Tuesday night, ambushed the convoy of Musa Agah, who was newly-elected to represent Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency of Plateau State, and killed two persons.
Agah and his aides were returning home from a ‘thank you’ tour about 9:00p.m. when the incident occurred along Twin Hill in Miango town of Bassa Local Council.
Personal assistant to the lawmaker, Moses Maly, who was in the same car with him when the incident occurred, said the legislator’s wife and two kids were with him but all escaped as his car was riddled with bullets.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youth leader and women leader, who were ahead of the convoy, ran into the ambush first, and were killed.
Secretary-General of Irigwe Development Association (IDA), Danjuma Auta, confirmed the incident to newsmen.
This development is a threat to the yet-to-be-signed peace accord between the Irigwe ethnic nationality and the Fulani who have always been at loggerheads.
Plateau PDP has condemned the attack.
MEANWHILE, the police has cordoned off the scene of Tuesday’s bomb explosion in Iware village of Ardo-Kola Local Council of Taraba State.
The Guardian observed that the anti-bomb squad of Nigeria Police Force (NPF) searching for remnants of the substance to prevent further explosion.
TERRORISTS have killed a popular vigilante group leader in Bakori Local Council of Katsina state, Mallam Buhari Funtua.
Popularly known as Buhari Michael, the deceased was killed about 11p.m. on Tuesday at the Dutsen Rimi Low-Cost area of Bakori town, while on his way to counter an attack by terrorists that were operating in the area.
A resident said Funtua was killed when he met a gang operating at the Low-Cost community.
“On the day of incident, Funtua was called on phone by a resident of the Low-Cost, that a group of bandits were attacking the area, and that he and his boys should hurry up and rescue them.
“As vigilante leader, he usually went first to survey an area where bandits were attacking before his boys followed later. As he rode on his motorcycle into the affected community, he saw the bandits but took them for innocent village,” the source said.
The Guardian gathered that Funtua chided them for doing nothing while their community was on fire.
“He asked them why they were standing doing nothing while their community was being attacked, and they replied that the attack was taking place a little further away.
“As he rode away from them, they shot him on the back several times and died shortly afterwards,” added.
Police spokesman, Gambo Isah, was yet to respond to inquiry on the incident at the time of going to press.
Follow our socials Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google News.
