Written by
Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah
Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have recorded major successes in renewed offensives against terrorists and criminal networks across parts of Katsina State.
The operations, carried out in Matazu, Musawa, Kankia, Dutsin-Ma, and Malumfashi Local Government Areas, led to the killing of three suspected terrorists, recovery of rustled livestock, and the arrest of six alleged drug peddlers.
In a statement signed by the Media Information Officer of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, troops of the 171 Battalion attached to Forward Operating Base FUDMA laid an ambush along the Matazu–Dutsin-Ma road following intelligence on fleeing terrorists escaping from recent military offensives in Dikawa.
During the gun battle that followed, three terrorists were neutralized while troops recovered two AK-47 rifles with loaded magazines, a motorcycle, cutlasses, and assorted charms.
In a separate clearance operation, troops supported by the Katsina State Community Watch Corps raided suspected terrorist hideouts in Torcachi, Giginya, and Tashar Ganji villages within Matazu, Musawa, and Kankia local government areas.
The Military says the terrorists abandoned their camps and fled under heavy pressure from advancing troops, leaving behind one hundred and seventy-five rustled livestock, now secured by the military pending transfer to appropriate local authorities.
Meanwhile, troops stationed at Forward Operating Base Malumfashi, working alongside operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, carried out a raid in Kauyan Dawo area of Malumfashi Local Government Area.
The joint operation resulted in the arrest of six suspected drug traffickers and the seizure of suspected hard drugs including Cannabis Sativa, Exol-5, and D5 substances.
The suspects and recovered drugs have since been handed over to the NDLEA for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Consequently, the military reassured residents of its commitment to sustained offensives against terrorism, banditry, and other criminal activities in the North-West.