Maj. Gen. Jide Ogunlade, the Force Commander of Operation Hadarin Daji in Zamfara, has confirmed that several villagers displaced by bandits activities in the state are now returning home.
Ogunlade made the confirmation while discussing areas of cooperation with journalists at the Force Command Headquarters in Gusau.
He said the development followed efforts of security agencies being intensified against the bandits throughout the state.
“We have now successfully disorganised the bandits and they can no longer stay comfortably in their hideouts because they know we can locate and strike them at any moment”.
“Although there exists over 300 bandits camps in the bushes, we are doing our best to neutralize them and even when they try to get to any of the neighbouring states, they find it difficult to evade the security”.
“This is why they now devised a method of using their informants to divert our attention through distress calls while the bandits go to the opposite direction to lay siege on innocent people. The bandits also easily attack villages situated close to the bushes and quickly run into the depth of the bushes, on this too we are working on the best approaches against their moves,” he assured.
The commandant, who expressed readiness to work with all forms of volunteer security services, however warned that if such partnership was abused and those volunteers crossed their bounds, they would be dealt with.
He appealed to journalists in the state to cooperate with the operation by disseminating credible and verified information so that they could succeed.
The Chairman of the state Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Abdulrazak Kaura, assured the commandant of the cooperation of his members.
“As far as the theatre maintains free flow of information, there will be no need for us to be mischievous or go to press without verifying the report.”
The chairman criticised the way the air components of the operation issued reports from the Air Force headquarters.
He urged the Force Commander to find ways of releasing reports emanating from the state to the journalists, adding that the expected publicity would be achieved. (NAN)
