Nigerian Army flushes insurgents out of Bauchi forests

The Commander, 33 Artillery Brigade Bauchi, Brigadier General Abraham Dusu, said the military has embarked on an operation to flush out insurgents and other criminal elements in Bauchi State forests.

Dusu, who disclosed this while addressing journalists on Thursday said the “aggressive” operation was ongoing in Lame and Burra forests in Toro and Ningi Local Goverrnent areas of the state.

He said that the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Yusuf Buratai, had directed the Brigade to carry out the operations after a series of complaints by residents of the areas about the movement of unidentified people with arms in the forests.

Dusu said, “Residents said that people carrying guns had been sighted in the forests or migrated to the state from Sambisa forest as a result of operations there.

“For the past two days operations by our officers and men have been going on.

“We are going to enter all the forests in the state and any other location within the state where there are reports of bandits , kidnappers and cattle rustlers. We have adequate troops and I will also tell you that we have air support to flush them out.”

The commander said the operations would be extended to every nook and cranny of the state as well as Yankari and Balmore forests, which are dense.

He urged the residents of those areas to remain calm and report any suspicious movement to the authorities.

Dusu told journalists that the Nigerian Army had the support of other security agencies in the state in the operation.

“The Commissioner of Police in the state gave me his word that the police will give us the necessary support we may need, he said.

It would be recalled that a Senator representing Bauchi Central, Hamma Misau, recently raised the alarm that insurgents were setting up a base in some forests in the state, calling on the Federal Government and the Chief of Army Staff to immediately intervene.