Ansaru: 2 foreign Jihadis arrested in Niger Army raid
Two suspected members of Ansaru, a militant organisation that broke away from the Boko Haram, have been arrested by Police operatives on Monday.
News of their arrest was contained in a statement released by the Defence Headquarters Media Operations Coordinator, Major General John Enenche.
They were arrest at Kasuwan Ango, a community in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State on Tuesday.
According to Major General Enenche, they were arrested following air raids conducted by the military.
The statement said the strikes were executed by the air component of Operation Gama Aiki, targeting “a group of armed bandits operating in the area”.
He said: “The successful air operations were conducted on the night of June 28 and early hours of June 29, 2020, sequel to credible intelligence reports indicating that some armed bandits in black attire were seen on the move with a large number of rustled cattle in the area.
“Accordingly, the Air Component dispatched a helicopter gunship to engage the bandits in multiple waves of attack leading to the neutralisation of some of the bandits, while a few escaped with gunshot wounds.
“Two of the escaping bandits, who happened to be foreigners, were later apprehended,” he added.
Explaining the circumstances of the attack and eventual arrest of the Ansaru militants, a police officer in Minna, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told HumAngle:
“The group launched an attack in some villages with the intention of kidnapping, rustling cattle and killing innocent citizens.
“The NAF deployed their aircraft which helped in neutralising some of the terrorists.
“They attempted to escape during the operation but the Nigeria Police were able to arrest the two foreign collaborators while they were fleeing with some of the injured members.
“The suspects are in our custody undergoing preliminary investigation before we transfer them to Abuja,” added.
According to reports, corpses of the killed terrorists still litter the area where the operation took place.
It was, however, gathered that many members of the group escaped with serious injuries.
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