STF killed more than 100 bandits in Langtang – Commander

The Special Task Force (STF),
maintaining the peace in Plateau killed
"more than 100'' of the bandits that
attacked Lantang villages last week,
according to its Commander, Brig. Gen.
Henry Ayoola.
"The latest figure of the attackers that fell to
our fire works in the counter gun duel is
more than 100. We really devastated them
because we circled them up from various
angles. They have never been so hit.
"STF troops deployed to Magama had first
engaged them before they were later
supported by additional troops that came
from Shndam,'' Ayoola told reporters in Jos
on Wednesday.
Other villages hit by the attackers included
Bolgong and Karkashi.
Ayoola said that two of the attackers were
injured and had been arrested and handed
over to the State Security Services.
He said that many of the corpses had
disappeared because the assailants were
always quick to evacuate their dead ones.
"We found that most of the attackers were
not even Nigerians; also, many of them
wore talismans and all manners of things
over their bodies,'' he added.
Ayoola wondered what had happened to
some Nigerians' sense of patriotism if they
could bring fighters from outside the nation
to kill their fellow compatriots.
The Commander, however, disputed reports
attributed to a politician, which claimed that
70 villagers had been killed by the invaders.
"The official is not in a position to confirm
the number of casualties. You remember the
council chairman had said that 32 people
were confirmed killed. You also remember
that we confirmed that only 20 villagers
were killed.
"After the weekend, there has not been any
any new attack so where is the additional
number of casualties coming from?'' he
asked.
Ayoola expressed satisfaction that calm had
returned to the area, and declared that all
other alarms were false as the STF men
were on ground to tackle any situation.
On the contrasting figure of casualties
between the Plateau Police Command and
the STF, Ayoola expressed surprise that the
police was releasing casualty figures in a
crisis that was not a police issue.
"The Langtang violence was not a police
issue. The Plateau police command was not
involved in the counter operation.
"The STF, you should remember, was
specially established to tackle the Plateau
violence because it was beyond the scope
of the conventional security agencies in the
state.
"It (STF) is not a statutory body. It is a
circumstantial creation to take care of a
particular situation, so it is the only body
involved in the operations and should be
the only source for confirming the real
situation on ground,'' he said.
Ayoola, however cautioned against the
persistent rustling of cows, and vowed to
deal with anyone caught in that act. (NAN)