Buratai: Army flush out bandits, dominate Falgore forest

Current news update as the army has dominated Falgore forest in Doguwa Local Government Area of Kano State, after flushing out armed bandits, cattle rustlers and other criminal elements from the forest.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, announced this on Saturday at Falgore at the end of exercise “Harbin Kunama” – Scorpion Sting.

The army launched the special exercise in 2016 in Kaduna and Zamfara states to deal with those criminal activities. On April 19, it launched Harbin Kunama II in Southern Kaduna and extended it to part of Plateau, Kano and Bauchi states. Buratai said that
although the exercise had come to an end, troops would remain in the vast forest which stretches from Kano through Saminaka in Kaduna, up to Jos in the North-Central to secure it. According to him, during the exercise, many bandits, cattle rustlers, kidnappers and armed were arrested, while large quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered.

He said the various exercises conducted by the army across the country such as Crocodile Smile and Python Dance were aimed at ensuring security and safety. Buratai said Falgore forest had been turned into a training ground for the army. Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje, who witnessed the closing of the exercise, said that the bandits and rustlers found a safe haven in the forest from where they terrorised the people.

He expressed happiness that the army had been able to flush them out, thereby making it safe for the people to carry out their legitimate activities.

He said that the state government would construct a dam in the forest to provide water for herdsmen to curtail their movements, thereby reducing incident of farmers/herdamen clashes in the area. The governor assured the army and security agencies of support not only to secure the forest but the entire state. The Chief Whip in the House of Representatives, Alhaji Alhassan Doguwa also commended the army for clearing bandits from the area. He promised that the house would give the army support to enable it discharge its constitutional roles.