A combined team of military and police officers thwarted a bandit attack on the Kaduna-Abuja highway in the early hours of Monday.
The operatives killed one of the bandits and recovered an AK47 rifle and nine of his operative motorcycles.
Kaduna State police spokesmanMohammed Jalige confirmed the incident in a statement Monday afternoon.
He said the success of the operation indicated the synergy between the police and the military in Kaduna state.
“On Monday, June 13, 2022, at around 2:55 am, when the combined Police Operation Puff Adder team and Nigerian Army Operation Thunder Strike team, while on a routine patrol along from the Kaduna-Abuja highway in Sabon Sara, they encountered armed bandits who were on their nefarious mission along the busy highway.
“An exchange of fire ensued as a result of which friendly forces cut short the bandits’ mission forcing them to retreat into the woods while one of the bandits was neutralized.
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“Upon raiding the general area, an AK47 rifle and the operational motorcycles of nine bandits were recovered,” he stated.
Police urged area residents to report people with suspected gunshot wounds to law enforcement agencies, as “injured criminal elements will be hibernating in nearby communities to access health care services.
There has been a resurgence of attacks on the Abuja-Kaduna highway, after an attack on a Kaduna-bound train from Abuja forced the government to suspend operations of rail service between the cities.
With limited options, commuters, who used to travel to and from the country’s capital from Kaduna, have returned to traveling on the highway.