The Nigerian Army said it did raid on the “Gentle De Yahoo” stronghold.
The Nigerian Army has stated that troops from the 34 Brigade, which is part of the 82 Division in Owerri, Imo State, carried out a commando-style raid on the home of a suspected criminal gang leader known as “Gentle De Yahoo” in Aku, Ihube, Okigwe Local Government Area.
On Tuesday, reports on social media and in the news said that the army had caught Gentle De Yahoo, a dreaded leader of the “Unknown Gunmen” gang, which has been linked to violent attacks in Imo State and other regions of the South-East.
SaharaReporters asked the Nigerian Army for more information about the incident, and they said that while troops raided Gentle’s house and killed his second-in-command (two IC), two female and two male fighters, the military has not yet confirmed whether or not Gentle himself was among those killed during the operation.
“Many people have been disturbed about why we should let this kind of person roam free, killing people and doing whatever he wants since he ordered the summary execution of some of his gang members.
The Army said, “In the past, there have been attempts to catch him and bring him to justice. This time, the Nigerian Army’s 34 Brigade, which is based in Owerri, Imo State, under 82 Division, stormed his community in Aku, Ihube, a village in Okigwe Local Government Area that shares a border with Abia and Anambra states.”
The Army said that the operation was meticulously carried out on foot so that no one would see it.
“The warriors walked for over four hours. They didn’t want to utilize armored cars like they used to. The Army said, “It was more like a commando mission.”
The Army reported that during the raid, the soldiers surrounded Gentle’s building but were shot at by his fighters from the roof.
“They encircled his house, got inside, and Gentle’s boys shot from the ceiling. Our forces shot back.
The Army said, “They had no choice but to set the building on fire when they saw that the guys firing from the roof weren’t going to come down.”
Many of Gentle De Yahoo’s fighters died in the raid.
“After the building was set on fire, two women and three men rushed out and tried to get away, but the army opened fire. There were still three people on the roof who wouldn’t come down.
” One of them was his two IC, who eventually jumped out and climbed the wall, but the soldiers shot at him and murdered his two IC.
The Army claimed, “Two males and two females who were with them were also killed.”
The Army said that the soldiers found the bodies of two female and two male combatants, but they couldn’t say for sure if one of the man fighters slain was the feared Gentle De Yahoo.
“Right now, all I can say is that the soldiers found the bodies of the two male fighters, but they can’t say for sure if Gentle De Yahoo was one of the people who died in the incident.”
“But the villagers who have been harassed by him nonstop confirmed that his two IC (second-in-command) were dead, and they are still trying to confirm whether he is one of the two other guys who were killed,” the Army said.
The Army said that even though they were still waiting for proof of Gentle De Yahoo’s death, the operation had already made his gang much weaker.
“We just have to wait for confirmation.” The Army said, “We are working on confirming whether he is one of the dead, but there is no way out for him.”
“We can’t say for sure right now that he was killed or that he found a way to get away.” We will inform Nigerians the precise scenario and confirm whether Gentle De Yahoo has been killed or not when the time is right.
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