Troops of the 6 Brigade Nigerian Army and Sector 3 of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have dislodged several terrorists’ hideouts and recovered arms and other items during clearance operations in Takum and Ussa local government areas of Taraba State, according to the Nigerian Army.
The operation, conducted under Operation Lafiya Nakowa, followed credible intelligence on criminal elements terrorising communities around Tarhembe, Tornyi, TY Farm, and Kando in Takum LGA, as well as reports of farmland destruction in Ussa.
According to a statement by Umar Muhammad, Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, the troops launched simultaneous clearance missions on 5 October.
Mr Muhammad, a lieutenant, said two teams of troops first engaged the terrorists around Tarhembe and Tornyi, forcing them to flee after a brief gun battle.
The first, he said, recovered four rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, one AK-47 magazine, and a motorcycle.
The second team which operated “within Lissam in Ussa LGA through Kutukok, Konkan, Fank Utaih, Kijwu, Kutukwo, Kwesati, and Alaha, cleared suspected hideouts without encountering resistance” and destroyed camps within the area.
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The Commander of 6 Brigade, Kingsley Uwa, commended the troops for their resilience and professionalism.
Mr Uwa, a brigadier-general, urged residents to continue sharing credible information to aid military operations and reaffirmed the Army’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property in the state.
The clearance operation, Mr Uwa stated, has disrupted bandit activities in the area and restored public confidence in ongoing military efforts to secure Taraba and adjoining regions.
Like other northern states, insecurity in Taraba State is rooted in a resource-based conflict between nomadic Fulani herders and local farmers, resulting in attacks and counterattacks.
However, local terrorists known as bandits have taken advantage of the conflict, killing and kidnapping for ransom.
Located in the insurgency-ravaged North-east, Taraba has suffered more from banditry than the Boko Haram insurgency that has engulfed the region.
