By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
The Nigerian Army rang in the New Year with decisive firepower in Plateau State, foiling a planned bandit assault on rural communities and dealing a lethal blow to criminal networks operating in the state’s troubled hinterlands.
Troops of 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, operating under the Joint Task Force, Operation ENDURING PEACE (JTF OPEP), neutralised five bandits during a pre-emptive, intelligence-driven ambush mounted in the early hours of Wednesday.
The operation was conducted as part of Operation PEACE SHIELD, the military’s ongoing effort to choke off the criminal movement and deny armed groups freedom of action across the Joint Operations Area.
Military Command said the troops intercepted the armed group as they moved from Dutsen Zaki toward Odare Forest in Wase Local Government Area, a known transit corridor for bandits planning raids on vulnerable communities.
Acting on credible intelligence, soldiers laid in wait, triggering a fierce firefight that ended with five bandits killed on the spot while others fled into surrounding terrain.
In the aftermath, troops recovered two AK-47 magazines loaded with 11 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, along with two machetes and a knife, underscoring the attackers’ intent to unleash violence on nearby settlements.
Troops have since launched follow-up operations and are actively tracking the fleeing suspects.
The successful ambush prevented what security officials believe could have been another deadly attack on civilians, reinforcing the military’s strategy of striking criminal elements before they reach population centres.
Reacting to the operation, the General Officer Commanding 3 Division and Commander, JTF Operation ENDURING PEACE, Major General EF Oyinlola, assured residents of Plateau State and surrounding areas that troops remain fully committed to protecting lives and property.
He called on the public to continue providing timely and credible intelligence, describing community cooperation as a critical force multiplier.
The military also issued a blunt warning to armed groups still operating within the Joint Operations Area: abandon criminal activity or face “decisive military action.”
According to the Command, troops remain on high alert and prepared to respond swiftly to any threat to peace and stability in Plateau State.
As the New Year unfolds, the message from the frontlines is unmistakable banditry will meet resistance, and the battle for security in Plateau State is being fought not just defensively, but ahead of the attackers’ plans.
