Details of how operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, eliminated scores of bandits and militants associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, have emerged.
It was gathered that the militants met their waterloo in their attempt to wreak havoc on vulnerable communities in the North-Central and southeastern communities.
The source revealed that based on intelligence, DSS operatives launched a major offensive on the gun-wielding bandits on motorcycles who were terrorising and looting shops in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
Scores of the militants were killed in the operation by the DSS who also seized their cache of weapons and motorcycles.
The confrontation against the militants came barely a week after the operatives neutralised three bandits in Dogon Dawa, Mairiga Local Government Area.
In early December, they had also stormed t
Janyau Fulani Area in Gusau, Gusau-Kaura Namoda Road in Zamfara State and Dalori quarters, Maiduguri, Borno State and arrested several bandits terrorising parts of the North-East and North-West.
A top source said the DSS attack prevented the bandits from holding a vicious meeting in Niger State where they had assembled at a community in Uregi Village in Rafi Local Government Area to plot a massive onslaught on some communities.
The security source attributed the improved security witnessed during the just concluded yuletide to covet operations undertaken by the DSS, especially in the South-East.
The source lauded the new DSS leadership for the increased synergy between the agency and sister security organisations, which he noted had boosted prompt intelligence sharing with the military and other security agencies and helped to improve the security situation across the country.
The operative said: “It might interest you to note that before Christmas, the DSS identified several IPOB and Eastern Security Network camps in several parts of the southeast states.
“Collaborating with the DSS, we surgically dealt with IPOB and ESN leaders who were terrorising residents of the South-East. With the DSS, we were able to clear IPOB/ESN strongholds in Orsu, Oru East, Oru West and Orlu Local Government Area in Imo State, where several AK-47 weapons and IED-making materials and shrines were destroyed.
“In Enugu, the DSS led the operation to clear Imilike Agu forest in Udenu Local Government Area,where several weapons of different calibres were destroyed and a large number of IPOB/ESN commanders neutralised. Several of such operations also took place in Abia, Anambra and Ebonyi States.
“That was why people in the South-East were, for the first time in several years, able to celebrate the Yuletide in peace,” the source said.
