Troops of Operation Safe Haven in charge of maintaining peace in Plateau State, parts of Bauchi, and Southern Kaduna on Monday arrested eight persons in connection with the killings in Southern Kaduna.
Commander of the OPSH, Sector 7, Colonel David Nwankonobi, disclosed this while addressing journalists at the Kafanchan headquarters of Sector 7 on Monday.
Nwankonobi said the suspects were arrested with various weapons, adding that during their rescue operation, the troops also discovered the corpse of one of the members of the militia said to have carried out the last attack in Southern Kaduna communities.
No fewer than thirty-three persons were killed between Wednesday and Thursday last week after gunmen attacked some communities in Zango Kataf Local Government Area of the state.
The sector commander said troops of the special taskforce acting on credible intelligence arrested six of the suspects at Lere LGA of the state, while two others were arrested in Chawai community, which lies between the boundaries of Kauru and Zangon Kataf LGAs.
Those arrested include Abubakar Ali, Ali Amadu, Bawa Idi, Umar Dikko, Garba Damina, and Muhammed Ibrahim.
The Army commander said, “The suspects had in their possession, one locally fabricated pump action gun, two locally made pistols, machetes, and motorcycles.
“In Chawai, a community which lies between the fringes of Kauru and Zangon Kataf LGA, one Adamu Joseph alongside William Barnabas were arrested with a locally made out of action gun, cartridges, mobile phones, and dagger.”
The Sector Commander said that his men were on the trail of those who carried out the last attack and assured the people that the perpetrators would soon be apprehended.
He also solicited the support and cooperation of members of the public in arresting the suspected attackers by providing them with useful information.