A repentant bandit popularly known as Smally, led some courageous locals to the enclaves his former colleagues, left scores dead and freed about 38 kidnapped victims in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
A resident of the community, Umaru Usman confirmed the report said; “The repentant bandit first killed some of the bandits and freed 16 kidnapped victims and took them to a nearby bush around Sakajiki village from where they were evacuated by security operatives. “After some time, another 22 were also freed and brought out to the same spot and also evacuated by security operatives and moved to Gusau.”
Usman explained that the operation which took place around Dajin Yamma forest in the Kaura Namoda Local Government Area brought jubilation among residents of the area.
However, the state Police Commissioner, Ayuba Elkanan, in a press briefing on Monday, April 11, 2022 in Gusau, said 39 kidnapped victims were rescued after a gun duel with bandits. But according to some residents of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area, the kidnapped victims were released by Smally.
“The axis had been in total control of the recalcitrant bandits before Smally and his group courageously confronted the deadly terrorists in their enclaves and neutralised scores of them (bandits) while others escaped with various degrees of injuries,” one of the residents said.