Odita Sunday 
Troops kill suspected terrorists, recover rifles, arrest gun-running suspect in Plateau
By Odita Sunday
Troops of Operation ENDURING PEACE have intensified offensive operations against suspected terrorist groups in Plateau State, killing several suspects, recovering three locally fabricated rifles and arresting a motorcycle rider in separate operations across Jos South, Bokkos and Barkin Ladi local government areas.
According to Captain Chinonso Polycarp Oteh, Media Information Officer of Operation ENDURING PEACE, troops of Sector 6 carried out an operation on June 26 at Gero High Ground in Jos South Local Government Area following intelligence on the activities of suspected terrorists in the area.
He said the troops came under attack as they approached the terrorists’ hideout but held their position until reinforcements arrived, forcing the suspects to retreat.
”The troops immediately pursued the fleeing terrorists, neutralised some of them and continued aggressive combing of the area to dismantle their enclaves,” Oteh said.
In another operation on the same day, troops at Maijanki intercepted a motorcycle conveying two passengers from Kuba District in Bokkos Local Government Area towards Barkin Ladi.
The two passengers reportedly abandoned a bag containing three locally fabricated rifles and fled into a nearby bush on sighting the troops. The motorcycle rider was arrested, while the recovered weapons and motorcycle were taken into custody for further investigation.
The statement added that on June 30, troops acting on intelligence ambushed suspected terrorists at the Rafin Bauna/Gero mountains in Jos South, killing five of them while others escaped.
According to Oteh, preliminary battlefield assessment and information from community members indicated that some of those killed had been on the command’s wanted list over attacks in Jos South and Bassa local government areas.
He further disclosed that troops on guard duty at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, repelled an attack by suspected terrorists in the early hours of Thursday after the assailants breached the perimeter fence.
The troops killed one of the attackers, while others fled. The body of the suspect has been handed over to the police, while recovered arms and ammunition remain in military custody.
Oteh said Operation ENDURING PEACE would sustain offensive operations to deny criminal elements freedom of action and restore lasting peace across its area of responsibility.
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