By Chijioke Kingsley
JOS – Some members of the Nigerian Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), have lost their lives while chasing and exchanging gunfire with a notorious gang of six kidnappers in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, a statement from the Special Military Task Force (STF), in Jos, has said.
The STF also code named Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), said troops of the Force along side with members of the IRT of the Police engaged the kidnappers and in the process some Police officers attached to the IRT squad was hit by the bullets of the bandits.
“The STF in a joint operations with the Divisional Police Headquarters at Mangu responded swiftly to a distress call from the IRT that bandits had attacked the team and took away their weapons. The criminals were immediately trailed and neutralised after a gun duel with the troops”, the STF said.
The statement issued on Tuesday by the spokesman of the OPSH, Major Ishaku Takwa, confirmed that troops also recovered weapons belonging to the IRT from the bandits.
“Remains of the IRT members who lost their lives and that of the six criminal gangs were recovered. The troops also recovered three AK47 rifles belonging to IRT team earlier taken away by the criminals”, the media officer said.
Takwa said the effort of the OPSH troops to neutralise the kidnappers earned the STF super commendation from the Commander of the Force, Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Ali, who charged troops to continue the collaborative efforts and sustain the tempo until criminal elements are wiped out of Plateau State.
Gen. Ali further directed the troops to dominate all suspected criminal hideouts and deny them freedom of action, our correspondent reports.
