Military recovers arms, livestocks from assault in Plateau, Kaduna - DHQ

Maj.- Gen. Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information and  Coordinator of Joint Information Centre, Counter terrorism Campaign, on Sunday announced the recovery of arms and some stolen livestock from a military assault carried out on camps of armed militia in Kaduna and Plateau States.According to a statement issued in Abuja, ``The operations in some communities in Plateau and Kaduna states resulted in the arrest of three wounded armed men after the encounter in which some of them died."Over 90 cows and 45 sheep believed to have been rustled were also recovered in addition to weapons in the communities" he said. "Another 50 cows have also been recovered from rustlers who attacked herdsmen in another location".Olukolade said that the recovered cows had been handed over to the traditional rulers in the areas, while those arrested were still being interrogated.He also revealed that six rifles, 25 Dane guns and 10 locally-fabricated pistols and four revolvers, were recovered in encounters with militiasin parts of Plateau and Kaduna states.Olukolade warned the traditional rulers in the areas against shielding or harbouring armed gangs in their domains, noting that the warning was in view of the security implications to their communities and the nation at large."Armed gangs have been engaging troops in gun battle as the forests are being combed for remnant of criminal elements that have been wrecking havoc in various communities of the North-Central" he said.The statement further revealed that search of identified locations was ongoing, adding that various rifle parts, empty ammunition boxes wererecovered in Shendam, Yelwa and the house of a suspected arms dealer at the border between Plateau and Taraba.According to the statement, the arrested suspects are among those being interrogated by the Special Task Force.It disclosed that one of the militia arrested in the outskirts of Jos was already helping with information on his links with terrorists operating in other parts of the country, noting that the counter terrorism campaign in the North-East would continue amidst series of encounters.It also revealed that identified make-shift camps of the terrorists were being dislodged in the ongoing air and land raids in forest and mountain locations, as the presence of famished and unarmed members of the terrorists wandering around had been noted in some villages."Armed terrorists have, however, continued to carry out snap attacks on travellers on highways, especially between Maiduguri- Damboa as well as Gwoza-Bama highways" he said."While others make occasional attacks on surrounding villages looting, especially food items. Some have been attacking soft targets in Borno and Yobe apparently in retaliation for casualties incurred in their camps as a result of land and air assaults.