By Longtong Ibrahim
Troops of 1 Division, Nigerian Army, have on Saturday recovered large cache of arms and ammunition in southern part of Kaduna State in northwestern Nigeria.
The discovery was made when troops embarked on cordon and search of Gwaska, Dangoma, Angwan Far and Bakin Kogi general area of the locality.
The Army had recently launched an operation in the area tagged ‘Operation HARBIN KUNAMA II’ (Scorpion sting), aimed at checkmating farmers and herdsmen’s clashes and ethno-religious crisis.
Spokesperson of the Nigeria Army, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman, said during the operation, the troops recovered 73 Dane Guns, 4 Locally Made Rifles, 1 Locally Made Machine Gun and 1 Locally Made Pistol.
Others include 260 Cartridges, 14 rounds of 7.62mm Ammunition, 63 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 1 Locally made Small Machine Gun Magazine, a pair of worn out military boot and some quantities of assorted Improvised Ammunition and Pyrotechnics hidden in dug out pits.
He added that, “While efforts are on going to track down the owners of the arms and ammunition, it is imperative to state the good people of the area have been very supportive and cooperate fully with the military which led to these unprecedented findings.
“Similarly, in Sector 1 of the Operation which covers Kano State, troops in conjunction with other security agencies are carrying out operations in suspected armed bandits camps in Falgore forest,” Usman added in a statement.
The special Operation will be expanded to cover some forests in Bauchi, Kano and Plateau States to flush out bandits and cattle rustlers.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, during the Launch, said, the operation was to ensure security and safety of the people.
Southern part of Kaduna has been characterized by incessant attacks which have dragged for years; the recent one began in May, 2016.