The Nigeria Police Force has deployed a Special Tactical Squad to seven local government areas of Plateau State as part of efforts to tackle insecurity and dismantle criminal networks operating in the state.
The squad arrived in Jos on October 17, following its deployment by the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, according to a report published by Matthew Tegha on Friday.
The affected local government areas are Bassa, Jos South, Bokkos, Jos East, Mangu, Shendam and Qua’an Pan.
The operations reportedly involve intelligence gathering, security patrols and the clearance of suspected criminal hideouts, with a focus on protecting vulnerable communities and critical infrastructure.
The report said several suspected bandits and militia members had been neutralised during encounters with security operatives, while identified criminal hideouts were destroyed.
However, it did not provide figures for the reported casualties or specify the locations where the encounters took place.
It also stated that no police personnel had been killed or injured during the operations.
Before the commencement of the exercise, the tactical team received a briefing from the Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Ayodeji Faniyan, with support from Deputy Commissioner of Police Sunday Audu Peter, Commandant of the Police Mobile Training College, Ende Hills, Nasarawa State, who was identified as the operational ground commander.
The operations are expected to continue as security personnel intensify efforts to identify criminal networks and prevent attacks on communities.
The report added that the exercise includes engagement with community leaders and other stakeholders to strengthen cooperation with security agencies.
Residents were also urged to provide credible information that could assist the police in identifying criminal activities and protecting lives and property.
The police had yet to provide detailed figures on arrests, weapons recovered or the number of criminal hideouts cleared in the operation as of the time of this report.
