By Nkechi Eze
Troops of 3 Division/Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace (JTF OPEP) have recovered a rifle, ammunition and mobile phones after engaging armed bandits in Plateau State.
The operation, which was conducted on September 24, 2025, at Manja, along the fringes of Mangu and Bokkos Local Government Areas, was intelligence-driven and targeted at militias and criminal elements troubling the Joint Operations Area.
According to an official signed statement by the Media Information Officer of JTF Operation Enduring Peace, Major Samson Nantip Zhakom, the bandits fled in disarray following superior firepower from the troops, abandoning their weapons and equipment in the process. “Furthermore, troops exploited the general area and recovered assorted rifle, ammunition and two mobile phones abandoned by the criminals,” the statement read.
The recovered items are now in military custody for further action, while pursuit operations are underway to intercept and neutralise the fleeing criminals.
Major Zhakom noted that the alertness and combat readiness of the troops remain the backbone of recent operational gains, stressing that the fundamentals of vigilance and rapid response would continue to guide operations in the Joint Task Force’s mandate to secure Plateau and adjoining areas.
He assured that troops would sustain the clampdown on bandits, militias and other criminal groups until peace is fully restored, adding that perpetrators of heinous crimes in the region will be tracked down and brought to justice.
