Troops of the 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army, have eliminated three bandits and arrested a suspected logistics supplier during separate fighting patrols and ambush operations across Kabba Bunu and Yagba West Local Government Areas of Kogi State.
The operations, conducted on January 3, 2026, were based on actionable intelligence regarding the movement of armed criminals from Adankolo towards Agbadu Bunu in Kabba Bunu.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, 12 Brigade, Lt. Hassan Abdullahi, troops swiftly deployed and laid an ambush at a known crossing point.
“The bandits subsequently ran into the troops’ ambush position and were engaged, forcing them to withdraw with indications of casualties as blood stains were observed during exploitation of the area,” the statement read.
Troops neutralised two bandits during the encounter and recovered one AK-47 rifle, a magazine, ninety-nine rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, a locally fabricated gun, and eleven cartridges.
In a related operation, fresh intelligence pointed to bandit movement around Saminaka village in Yagba West. Troops, alongside local vigilantes, embarked on a fighting patrol to the village and adjoining forests.
“On arrival, the village was observed to have been deserted, prompting troops to dismount and exploit the surrounding forest and routes leading towards the Saminaka Sabo Rijiya road,” Abdullahi said.
The troops made contact with the armed men and engaged them in a firefight, forcing them to flee. One bandit was found dead during follow-up sweeps, with one AK-47 rifle and seventeen rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition recovered.
During the same operation, troops arrested a suspected bandit logistics supplier identified as Sunday Adedotun from Odo Eri village in Yagba West.
He was apprehended on a farmland within Saminaka. Though he claimed to assist farmers with post-harvest transportation, troops discovered suspicious items at the site, including cartons of energy and soft drinks, bottled water, and farm produce. He is currently in custody and undergoing investigation.
Lt. Abdullahi said the series of coordinated missions underscores the military’s ongoing pressure on criminal elements and their support networks in the region.
Commending the troops, Commander of 12 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Kasim Sidi lauded their professionalism, courage, and swift response to intelligence.
He assured residents that troops would sustain aggressive patrols, ambushes, and intelligence-driven operations to deny bandits and their collaborators freedom of action in the area.