By Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
TARABA – Troops of the 6 Brigade Nigerian Army and Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have arrested Four persons suspected to be Ambazonian rebels who specialise in trading illegal arms for cocoa in Takum Local Government area of Taraba State.
Captain Olubodunde Oni, Acting Assistant Director, 6 Brigade Army Public Relations disclose this on Saturday in a statement issued in Jalingo.
Oni further disclose that following actionable intelligence, troops have also recovered 30 pipes believed to have been vandalised from Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Wukari local government area of the State.
“On 18 December 2024, acting on credible human intelligence, troops tracked and apprehended four suspected members of the Ambazonia rebel group at a hotel in Takum. During initial interrogation, the suspects confessed to being part of the rebel group involved in arms proliferation in exchange for cocoa with their Nigerian collaborators. Four mobile handsets were recovered from the suspects, who are currently in detention undergoing further investigation.
“In a separate operation, following actionable intelligence, troops deployed at Natilde community in Bantaji district of Wukari Local Government Area intercepted a truck with registration number WKR 66 BB Taraba State, transporting 19 pieces of stolen pipelines belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL). Further collaborative efforts with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Wukari Division led to the recovery of an additional 11 pipes, bringing the total to 30. The recovered items have been handed over to the NSCDC Wukari Division for further investigation and necessary action.
“6 Brigade Nigerian Army will remain resolute in its commitment to safeguarding lives and property while ensuring the security of critical national infrastructure. We urge members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to enhance our collective efforts in maintaining peace and security” the statement reads.
