By Joy Odor | Jalingo | October 5, 2025
In a renewed show of force, troops of the 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/Sector 3, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have dislodged multiple bandits’ hideouts in Takum and Ussa Local Government Areas of Taraba State, recovering ammunition, an AK-47 magazine, and a motorcycle in a successful clearance mission under Operation Lafiya Nakowa.
The daring operation, launched on October 5, 2025, followed credible intelligence on the movement and activities of armed bandits around Tarhembe, Tornyi, TY Farm, and Kando in Takum LGA, as well as reports of farmland destruction in Ussa LGA.
In a press statement issued by Lieutenant Umar Muhammad, Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Brigade and made available to newsmen in Abuja informed that, the operation was conducted in two coordinated phases.
Team A advanced into Tarhembe and Tornyi, where troops engaged the bandits in a brief but intense firefight. Outgunned and overwhelmed by the troops’ superior firepower, the criminals fled deep into the forest, abandoning their equipment. Items recovered during the follow-up sweep included:
Four rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition
One AK-47 magazine
One motorcycle
Team B, operating simultaneously through Lissam, Kutukok, Konkan, Fank Utaih, Kijwu, Kutukwo, Kwesati, and Alaha in Ussa LGA, cleared and destroyed multiple bandits’ camps without resistance, effectively denying the criminals safe havens and mobility.
Commander of 6 Brigade, Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, hailed the troops’ courage, precision, and sustained momentum in the fight against armed groups terrorizing rural communities.
“These clearance operations have disrupted criminal networks and denied them freedom of action,” General Uwa declared.
“The Nigerian Army remains unwavering in its resolve to protect lives, property, and the peace-loving people of Taraba State.”
He urged residents to continue providing timely and credible intelligence to security agencies to aid ongoing operations across the state.
The latest success adds to a string of decisive blows dealt to criminal elements under Operation Lafiya Nakowa, which continues to tighten its grip on the North East–North Central corridor, flushing out armed groups from their strongholds.
