By Patrick Wemambu
Kogi State Government in joint operations with the Nigerian Army, security agencies and local vigilante, have recovered about 1,000 rustled livestock in a sustained offensive against bandits in the state.
Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this in a statement made available on Sunday.
Fanwo said the offensive targeted remnants of the late bandit kingpin, Kachalla Ibrahim Battijo, and other cattle-rustling syndicates operating within the state and across the North Central region.
He said the recovery was made possible by credible and timely intelligence acted upon by the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Hybrid Forces from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services, DSS, the Police, local vigilante and hunters.
According to Fanwo, over 200 of the recovered animals were traced to the criminal network of the late Battijo, while the remaining livestock were recovered from other armed bandits engaged in cattle rustling across Kogi and neighbouring states.
He said the criminals had attempted to move the stolen livestock through Kogi for sale.
“The intelligence revealed that the criminal groups planned to sell the rustled livestock to raise funds for procurement of arms, food supplies and other logistics,” Fanwo stated.
He explained that acting on the intelligence, security operatives engaged the bandits in fierce gun battles at different locations.
“Several of the criminals were neutralised, while others fled with varying degrees of bullet wounds, abandoning the rustled livestock in their attempt to escape.
“I can confirm that many of the flies that chose to follow the corpse to the grave have now been buried alongside it, while those who escaped with varying degrees of bullet wounds are being actively tracked by our security forces. They will not escape justice,” he said.
He noted that remnants of Battijo’s gang had become increasingly desperate, following the elimination of their kingpin, as sustained operations continued to dismantle their network and deny them access to logistics and freedom of movement within Kogi.
The commissioner further disclosed that the recovered livestock are currently being kept in a secure location in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area, while arrangements were being made to identify rightful owners for prompt return.
