In its continued fight against banditry in the country, the Nigerian troops on Saturday neutralised six bandits in Zamfara State.
No fewer than 18 persons suspected to be informants of the bandits including a village head were arrested.
Confirming the development, the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, said the clearance operation carried out by the Nigerian troops took place in Kirsa and Sunke villages in Anka Local Government Area.
It also took place in Doka and Mutu villages in Gusau Local Government Area of the state.
Two AK 47 rifles, two dane guns, five motorcycles, and two machetes were recovered from the suspects, according to Musa.
It would be recalled that emirs in Zamfara State had expressed regrets over the embarrassment caused the Nigeria Air Force, NAF, by the allegation that innocent citizens were killed in air strike against bandits in the state.
The Chairman, Zamfara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad, expressed the regret at his palace in Anka on Saturday when an Air Force investigation team visited the state on a fact finding mission.
The seven-man team was led by AVM Idi Lubo.
It would be recalled that at a press briefing about two weeks ago, the Emir of Bungudu, Alhaji Hassan Attahiru, claimed that some innocent citizens were killed in the air raid carried out by the Nigeria Air Force in its bid to stem the reign of terror by bandits.
The allegation was made after a meeting over allegation by the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali, that some traditional rulers were aiding the bandits terrorising the state.
The emir released names of those supposed to have been killed in the air raid to support his claim.
But speaking during the visit of the investigation team, the Chairman, Zamfara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad, apologized over the allegation.
His words: “The council regrets the embarrassment caused by the press briefing because it was not targeted at the Air Force or the army but at our own son, the Minister of Defence, who wrongly accused us of complicity in the bandits’ activities in the state.
“l apologize over whatever embarrassment the statement may have caused and from now, we have drawn a line, there won’t be anything like that again, and I want to appeal that care should be applied while tracking the bandits and when they run from your fire power into the community, the land army should take over so as to avoid killing the innocent.
“Out of the 17 emirate councils that we have in the state, mistakes occurred in only four and the submissions we made were gathered in the last two years, l also want to state that nothing happened on innocent citizens in the last six months in the state.”
