Troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), in a sustained effort to dismantle criminal elements within its area of responsibility, have intensified their offensive against bandits and associated crimes to ensure a peaceful farming season in Benue State.
In a raid conducted on 18 May 2025, troops of the 72 Special Forces Battalion of OPWS, working in close synergy with other security agencies, located and destroyed several identified bandit camps linked to a notorious bandit leader in Konyo Gbise, near Akwaza in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area.
The operation resulted in the recovery of a cache of arms and other items. Seized weapons include one submachine gun (SMG) with a magazine, a locally fabricated rifle with magazine, and 7.62mm special ammunition. Other items recovered were a rifle butt, a rifle barrel, 9mm ammunition, three POS machines, two generators, a mobile phone, electrical cables, a painting machine, seven solar panels, a half bag of suspected cannabis sativa (Indian hemp), and several portraits of wanted bandit leaders.
Commander of the JTF OPWS, Major General Moses Gara, commended the troops for their successful operation and charged them to sustain the pressure on all criminal elements threatening peace and security in the state.
He also urged the residents of Benue to continue supporting military operations by providing timely and credible information on the activities of criminals in their communities.
