Police: Inspector killed, 13 officers injured in Kaduna forest operation

Emmanuel Onani, Abuja

The Police, yesterday, said that an Inspector, Muhammed Abubakar attached to the Police Special Forces, died and 13 officers sustained various degrees of injuries during a daring operation conducted on the Kuduru Forest in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, by Police Special Forces.

The Police stated that Abubakar died as a result of injuries sustained in the heat of the combat.  The Force Public Relations Officer, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Mr Frank Mba, made the disclosure in an updated statement on the February 5, 20202 operation, which he said, led to the killing of at least, “250 terrorists and bandits.”

Mba said: "Thirteen other officers, made up of two Superintendents of Police (SPs), one Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), four Inspectors and six Sergeants, including the Pilot and Co-pilot of the Police helicopter, sustained different degrees of injuries and are currently receiving treatment. The late Inspector was one of the finest officers of the Police Special Forces with vast training and operational background, both at home and abroad. He was among the pioneer set of the Police Special Forces trained in Belarus. He participated in several successful Police operations and joint missions with the military in the fight against insurgency, both in and outside the North-eastern part of the country.”

The statement further disclosed that two wanted terror commanders were among the 250 "high-profile" suspected criminals that were killed during the operation conducted on the Kuduru Forest in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State.

The forest, the police had disclosed, serves as operational base of the Ansaru Terrorists Group, and bandits. The police gave the names of the neutralised suspected fighters as Haruna Basullube and Bashir Leta.

While describing Basullube as, "one of the most wanted kidnappers and cattle rustlers in the country," Mba noted that Leta was, "another notorious bandits’ commander.”

The Force spokesman further noted that Mallam Abba, a suspected commander of Boko Haram camp in Kuduru Forest, and Mofa, a notorious kidnap suspect, were critically injured.

He said: “As mop-up operations continue, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu has deployed crack detectives and special forensic investigators from the Force Headquarters to expedite investigations into the broad criminal enterprise of the group and their associates.”

Some of the exhibits recovered by the Police during the operation included: 11 AK47 rifles, 730 rounds of live AK47 ammunition, 152 rounds of GPMG ammunition in two chains, 13 pairs of military camouflage uniforms, two cartons and 48 sachets of tramadol, four facemasks, phones and other electronic gadgets which are currently subjects of forensic investigations.

The Force Headquarters has, however, enjoined citizens living in and around Birnin-Gwari axis of Kaduna State, to be on the lookout for fleeing bandits, especially those with bullet wounds and report any suspicious behaviour to the Police.