Troops of the “Operation Whirl Stroke” have so far killed 145 bandits, arrested 223 others while also recovered a total of 194 weapons in Nasarawa, Benue and Taraba States.
Commander of the forces, Major General Adeyemi Yekini, gave the disclosure while on a courtesy call on Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule at the Lafia Government House.
Adeyemi said the exercise was yielding results in the affected states, adding that within a year, they recovered a total of 3,683 weapons and one hand grenade.
He added that their exercise has reduced crimes and criminality to its barest minimum, insisting that they would continue to monitor the three states to ensure safety of lives and properties.
According to him, the root cause of most of the crises in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba States is due to agitations over control of farming and grazing spaces along the River Benue trough.
He explained that herdsmen use the area for grazing because of its lush vegetation, whereas the Tiv people also use the area for farming while the Jukun people also use the area for fishing.