By Seun Opejobi The Nigerian Defence Headquarters, DHQ, on Monday reacted to videos of bandit leader, Bello Turji and his gangs seiz...
By Seun Opejobi
The Nigerian Defence Headquarters, DHQ, on Monday reacted to
videos of bandit leader, Bello Turji and his gangs seizing two Mine Resistant
Ambush Protected Vehicles, MRAPs, during an operation.
The Director of Defence Media Operations Maj-Gen Edward
Buba, said the two MRAPs were demobilized due to the inability of troops to use
them after they got stuck in swampy terrain during operations against bandits
in Zamfara State.
Over the weekend, videos had emerged of Turji and his gangs
taking over some MRAPs while burning down another.
In the footage, the bandits had boasted of taking over the
Army vehicles as part of Jihad.
However, Buba insisted that the troops demobilized the MRAPs
while accusing the bandits of attempting to take advantage of the situation to
mislead the public.
Buba said the MRAPs were demobilized to prevent the bandits
from using them.
A statement by Buba reads, “On 29 Aug 24, at about 1700 hrs,
troops of OP HADARIN DAJI deployed at FOB Zurmi in Zurmi Local Government Area
of Zamfara State, embarked on fighting patrol to dislodge terror gathering at
Kwashabawa Village. Troops engaged the terrorists enroute the location.
“During the fight, while attempting to outflank the terrorist.
Quantity 2 of troops MRAPs got bogged down due to the swampy terrain occasioned
by the rain. While troops tried to extricate the MRAPs, the terrorist mass up
knowing the challenge troops had encountered with the MRAPs.
“Subsequently, troops dismounted and demobilized the MRAPs,
when efforts to backload them were futile. The said demobilization of the MRAPs
by troops was to prevent it from being useful to the terrorist after
abandonment.”
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