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The Kaduna State Police Command has apprehended a 34-year-old suspected bandit kingpin, Mati Bagio, who had evaded arrest for over a decade.
In an official statement, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, confirmed the arrest, stating that Bagio, a resident of Unguwan Galadima in the Shika district of Giwa Local Government Area, had been on the police wanted list for eleven years. He was allegedly the leader of a notorious criminal network responsible for a series of violent attacks across communities in Kaduna and Katsina States.
Hassan said Bagio has been the mastermind behind numerous deadly assaults in Giwa, Hunkuyi, Faskari, Dandume, and Funtua local government areas. He was finally apprehended after years of intense surveillance and intelligence gathering.
The police revealed that a significant cache of weapons was recovered during the arrest operation. Items seized included high-powered firearms, assorted ammunition, a stolen Toyota Prado SUV, and two motorcycles believed to have been used during the gang’s operations.
The statement read, “On 18th July, 2025, at about 0530 hours, acting on credible intelligence, a team of detectives led by the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, CSP Sani Zuntu, successfully tracked and arrested a notorious gang leader popularly known as Mati Bagio, a 34-year-old male of Unguwan Galadima in Shika District, Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
“The suspect is a notorious bandit leader who terrorised Kaduna and Katsina states along Giwa, Hunkuyi, Faskari, Dandume, and Funtua Local Government Areas. He had been on the run for the past 11 years. He was just apprehended at his residence, where a significant cache of arms and ammunition was recovered”.
“Items recovered from the suspect include one AK-47 rifle; one fabricated AK-47 rifle; one pump-action gun; two English pistols; two AK-47 magazines; two LAR rifle magazines; four fabricated AK-47 butts; four AK-47 live ammunition rounds; 10 pump-action cartridges; 87 rounds of pistol ammunition; one machete; two torchlights; and one unjamming rod.”
