Troops recover 13 AK-47 rifles, grenades from notorious criminal kingpin, John Gata’s armoury in Taraba
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Sub-Sector 1A, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have uncovered and destroyed an armoury belonging to a notorious criminal kingpin, John Gata, in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.
Zagazola Makama reliably gathered that the operation followed intelligence on the movement of the wife of the wanted criminal from Amadu village through Wukari, Kyado and Zaki-Biam towards Gboko.
According to the sources, troops deployed to Zaki-Biam immediately established a snap roadblock and intercepted the woman.
“They were subsequently led by the suspect to the criminal’s armoury located at Amadu village in Takum LGA,” the sources said.
They added that during the raid, troops recovered 13 AK-47 rifles, 38 AK-47 magazines, 690 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and four 36-hand grenades.
The sources said the armoury was destroyed after the recovery, while the troops returned safely to base without any casualty.
They described the general security situation in the area as calm but unpredictable, noting that troops’ morale and fighting efficiency remained high.
Zagazola that Operation Whirl Stroke is a joint military operation covering parts of Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa States, aimed at curbing armed banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities in the North Central zone.
