Gun Duel: Troops Recover 150 AK-47 Rifles from Suspected Terrorist In Minna
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Gun Duel: Troops Recover 150 AK-47 Rifles from Suspected Terrorist In Minna
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
Minna, the capital of Niger State, was plunged into chaos during the early hours of Tuesday when a suspected member of the Boko Haram sect engaged security operatives in a fierce gun battle.
Security forces had initiated an operation in the Gbeganu area of Minna, where the suspect’s residence was located.
According to Daily Trust reports, no fewer than 150 AK47 rifles, about 3, 000 live ammunition, explosives, a rocket launcher and anti-aircraft rifle were recovered from the house.
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During the operation, a night watchman from a neighboring house, Mubarak Abubakar, was reportedly injured by a stray bullet and is currently receiving medical treatment at the IBB Specialist Hospital’s emergency unit in Minna.
Residents in the vicinity reported that the operation, which commenced at around 12 a.m., endured for several hours as the suspect engaged security forces in an intense gunfight before managing to escape.
The suspect resorted to using a rocket launcher to breach a section of his house’s perimeter wall, allowing his escape. However, security operatives apprehended his wife and children.
It was further revealed that the suspect had surveillance cameras installed in his house, which he used to monitor the arrival of security forces, subsequently initiating the confrontation.
The suspect, who had been on the watchlist of security agencies, purchased the house and moved in approximately two years ago.
One resident recounted, “We didn’t sleep last night. The sound of the guns between the suspect and security operatives was too heavy; my bed and the ceiling of my house were shaking. They sounded like bombs. The security operatives passed through the front of our house when they were going but we didn’t know what they were going to do until we heard the sound of a gun.”
As of the time of reporting, neither the police nor the state government had issued an official statement regarding the operation.
