The air component of Operation Whirl Punch killed 30 terrorists on motorcycles in Kaduna’s Birnin Gwari Local Government Area.
This comes on the heels of the rescue of 35 kidnapping victims from the Dumburu jungle by troops in Katsina State.
The Kaduna air strikes were ordered in response to an intelligence tip revealing the terrorists’ movements in the area.
According to a statement issued on Monday by Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, Director of Public Relations and Information, the eliminated terrorists were responsible for the recent troop ambush at Kwanan Mutuwa, as well as multiple attacks and abductions of innocent residents in the LGA.
Gabkwet said, “In its relentless campaign to rid the North-West and North Central regions of Nigeria of the menace of terrorism and kidnapping, the air component of Operation Whirl Punch has eliminated a syndicate of terrorists in Kaduna State.
”The strike followed an intelligence report of the movement of the syndicate along the Kwiga-Kampamin Doka axis in the Birnin Gwari LGA of Kaduna State.
“The intel also revealed that the same syndicate was responsible for the ambush on troops at Kwanan Mutuwa on January 27, 2024, as well as several attacks and abductions of innocent civilians in Birnin Gwari.”
He stated that when the troops arrived at the scene, they discovered two armed terrorists on 15 motorcycles.
Gabkwet claimed that a precision strike was used to exterminate them.
He said, “On arrival at the suspected location, a deliberate and detailed scan revealed a trail of terrorists sighted moving in a convoy of about 15 motorcycles, each with at least two armed terrorists.
“Accordingly, the terrorists were trailed to a location where they converged before they were engaged and neutralised in a precision strike. The aftermath of the air strike revealed that several of the terrorists were eliminated as a result of the strike.”
Meanwhile, on Sunday afternoon, security personnel in Katsina freed 35 kidnapped people from the Dumburu jungle.
Bandits recently kidnapped people from the Tashar Nagulle and Nahuta settlements in the Batsari Local Government Area of the state.
The 35 victims were taken to Katsina‘s government house on Monday, where Governor Dikko Radda met with them and congratulated them.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Mohammed, the governor provided each of the victims with N100,000 in financial assistance to establish any business of their choice.
According to the statement, the victims were rescued on Sunday afternoon in the Dumburum forest following a deadly gun battle between troops and the terrorists.
“Many bandits were being killed, their camps were destroyed, and a lot of weapons were recovered through the joint efforts of security operatives in the state,” the statement added.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
