Troops arrest terrorists in Taraba, recover weapons ‘hidden under motorcycle seat’

Troops of the Nigerian Army (NA) have arrested two suspected terrorists with weapons hidden under the seat of a motorcycle in Taraba state.

In a statement on Monday, Onyema Nwachukwu, army spokesperson, said the troops apprehended the suspects during a routine patrol at the Miyande village in Takum LGA of the state.

Nwachukwu said another suspect, who allegedly engages in gun-running activities for terrorists, was arrested at a motor park in Jalingo, the state capital.

“In a series of successful operations, Nigerian Army troops deployed for counter-terrorism and counter- insurgency operations in Taraba and Benue states have made significant strides in disrupting terrorist activities,” the statement reads.

“The operations resulted in the arrest of a gun-runner, foiling of a kidnap attempt, and extermination of a terrorist.

“In Taraba state, troops, in collaboration with vigilantes, acted on actionable intelligence to apprehend one Mansir Mohammed at Jalingo Motor Park, who has been reportedly involved in gun-running activities with terrorists.

“His arrest led to the nabbing of other members of his syndicate and the recovery of one Semi Automatic Pump Action gun, one locally fabricated gun, a Peugeot car, 5 mobile phones, and the sum of forty-five thousand Naira (N45,000) only.

“In a separate operation, troops on routine patrol at Miyande village in Takum local government area of Taraba State have intercepted two terrorist suspects who concealed an automatic rifle underneath the seat of a motorbike on which he rode.”

He said the operatives recovered one AK-47 rifle, five rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and a motorcycle.

“In another development, troops responded to a distress call and successfully foiled a kidnap attempt within Zaki-Biam town in Zaki-Biam local government area of Benue state,” the statement adds.

“During the intervention, troops neutralized one kidnapper in a shootout with the criminals and recovered a Beretta pistol with 4 rounds of 9 mm ammunition.”

The army spokesperson added that the military is committed to eradicating terrorism in Nigeria.