Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says troops foiled attacks on 19 villages in Plateau state on this year’s Christmas eve.
Gatekeepers News reports that on December 24, over 115 persons were confirmed dead following attacks by gunmen on communities in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi LGAs of the state.
Defence Media Operations Director, Edward Buba, while speaking on Friday in Abuja, said the bandits carried out simultaneous attacks on other villages.
The DHQ spokesperson said the intervention of the troops in affected LGAs forced some of the militants to flee.
Buba said over 100 bandits carried out the attacks, adding that the troops received distress calls from 36 different locations.
He said, “Sadly, events turned gloomy with the attack on Bokkos LGA and some parts of Barkin Ladi LGA on Dec. 24. It should be noted that Bokkos and Barkin Ladi LGAs span about 2,315 square kilometres with over 350 villages, mostly dispersed.
“The distance between some of these villages and troops’ locations is over 90 kilometres and sometimes difficult to access because of the rugged terrain, mostly inaccessible to vehicles.
“Thus, affecting the reaction time to incidents, except when there is credible intelligence before the attack.”
The DHQ spokesperson added, “Troops responded to the calls and were able to intervene in 19 villages forcing the militants to withdraw.
“Unfortunately, the havoc had been committed before troops arrived at the other villages.”
He stated the troops had initiated kinetic and non-kinetic operations in the second half of the year, which significantly curtailed attacks between farmers and herders in the state.
Buba said, “Until the recent killings in Plateau during Christmas, the highlighted measures visibly contributed to the relative peace in Plateau, as well as the adjoining areas in Bauchi, Taraba and Kaduna states.
“Similarly, the activities of Operation Whirl Stroke significantly checkmated armed banditry, kidnapping and other crimes in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states.”
He assured that the military had taken necessary measures to overcome all identified challenges and ensure that such tragic occurrences are avoided in the future.
