Troops of the Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have killed the wife of most wanted militia leader in Benue State, Terwase Akwaza, popularly known as ‘Ghana’ in Sai community of Kastina-Ala Local Government Area.
The killing occurred after four simultaneous raids against the gang believed to be terrorising some parts of the state. Force Commander of OPWS, Major General, Adeyemi Yekini, who made the disclosure yesterday at a news conference in Makurdi, added that his troops at several operations conducted, had missed the gang leader, Ghana by the whisker.
“At the end of four simultaneous assaults, OPWS troops killed 12 militia men loyal to Gana at Sai while we recorded one case of a soldier who got missing,” he said.
Yekini also noted that the troops successfully fought through without much casualty on their side, while adding that one of the wives of the wanted man, Queen, was believed to have been killed during the two hour cross fire the militias engaged with troops. He expressed optimism that with the newly established sub-sector of the operation in Zaki-Biam, following Thursday’s attack by suspected Ghana ‘boys’ on the border town, troops are closer to arresting the wanted militia kingpin on whose head joint security operatives in the state placed a bounty of N20 million.
The force commander said that several arms and ammunitions were recovered by troops in the three states of its coverage which are; Benue, Nassarawa and Taraba in the latest encounter with criminal elements.
He listed items recovered to include; two AK47 rifles, three magazines of AK47 rifles, 37 rounds of 7.62 special ammunition, a handset, two locally made pistols specially fabricated to fire 7.62 mm special ammunition (same type fired by AK47 rifle), 20 cartridges, five bows and arrows, four empty cases of 7.62mm special, some substances suspected to be charms and 15 rustled cattle. Yekini added that the recovered animals have been returned to their rightful owners.
