The Defence Headquarters said troops of Operation Hadarin Daji on April 20, killed no fewer than 21 armed bandits in an encounter at Zurmi in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, said four soldiers died during the encounter.

Enenche said that more details would be provided after the exploitation operation in the area.

He added that the troops had begun aggressive patrols in the area for domination and confidence building among the locals.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria requests the general public to provide credible information on the bandits to assist the Military to rid the country of the criminal elements,” he said.