Hunters, vigilantes kill Boko Haram commander, deputy in Borno

Police battle terrorists in Kaduna, recover AK-47, motorcycles

A team of hunters and vigilantes has killed a Boko Haram commander and his deputy in a clash in Shaffa Taku village around Sambisa Forest in Borno State.

The vigilantes, led by Mohammed Yohanna, recovered an AK-47 rifle and motorcycles used in attacking communities on the fringes of the forest.

Confirming the feat, yesterday, in Maiduguri, Yohanna disclosed that over a dozen terrorists escaped on motorcycles and with gunshot wounds.

“They have been terrorising us and preventing our people from going to their farmlands,” he said, noting that Mandaragirau, Sabon Gari and two other villages were also attacked in May to displace over 5,000 villagers.

He added: “Terrorists also forcefully imposed taxes on farmers and herders after rustling cattle and looting food items in the affected communities.

“We arrested some Boko Haram food suppliers and recovered N6.1 million from the neutralised terrorists,” noting that the money was stolen from some of the attacked villages of Hawul Local Council.

According to him, the recovered money has been handed over to 231 Battalion, Biu, for safekeeping while investigation continues.

On how the commanders were killed, he said: “The hunters acted on an intelligence provided by volunteers,” explaining that the information was on movement of terrorists in the last two weeks in Sambisa Forest.

“I mobilised my team and stormed the spot in the evening at Shaffa Taku, which had been abandoned in Damboa.

“Luckily, we sighted 20 armed terrorists on motorcycles and hunters engaged them in fierce battle and killed the commander and his deputy.”

RELATEDLY, armed policemen in Kaduna State countered an ambush by bandits for commuters in Birnin Gwari Local Council and recovered an AK-47 rifle and four motorcycles.

The Kaduna Police Command stated that, on May 30, 2022, about 1130hrs, policemen attached to Buruku Division, while on routine patrol around Udawa along Kaduna–Birnin Gwari road, ran into an ambush by suspected bandits for unsuspecting commuters.

Police spokesman, ASP Muhammed Jalige, stated, yesterday: “The incident happened close to Masallaci village along the said route during a gun duel between the operatives and bandits.

“The police officers and the vigilantes exhibited uncommon courage in returning fire with precision, which successfully countered the ambush, as the bandits were forced to retreat with varying degrees of bullet wounds into the forest, leaving behind one AK-47 rifle and four unregistered operational motorcycles.”

According to Jalige, the items were deposited at Buruku Police Station while effort is on to trace the injured bandits.

The Commissioner of Police, Yekini Ayoku, applauded the officers’ courage in confronting the enemies and urged them to sustain the tempo, as he is ever willing to support them.