14 Bandits Killed in Katsina Gun Battle

Fourteen suspected bandits were killed during a gun battle with community hunters after security operatives foiled a planned mass kidnapping in Gidan Wawo village, Kakumi Ward of Bakori Local Government Area, Katsina State.

The Katsina State Government said intelligence received at about 1:28 a.m. on Friday indicated that 26 heavily armed bandits riding 13 motorcycles were heading towards Dawan Laila Forest to launch coordinated attacks on neighbouring communities.

The government said the group was led by a notorious kingpin identified as Isiya Kwashen Garwa.

Following the intelligence, security agencies placed their personnel and operational assets in Bakori on high alert and disrupted the planned attack.

However, at about 1:31 p.m. on Friday, the bandits attacked a private vehicle carrying four passengers from Kakumi Ward to Illela Market in Sokoto State.

The attackers reportedly set the vehicle on fire, trapping the occupants inside.

Community hunters from Gidan Wawo were mobilised and engaged the fleeing bandits in a gun battle, killing 14 of them and rescuing three of the passengers alive, according to the state government.

A community hunter, Mohammed Ibrahim Jidda, 29, was killed during the confrontation, while another hunter, Usman Sunday, 25, sustained minor gunshot injuries and is receiving medical treatment.

One of the passengers, Jamilu Lawal, 50, also died after he was trapped in the burning vehicle.

The government said intelligence indicated that the surviving bandits could launch reprisal attacks following the losses suffered during the encounter.

It said security agencies had activated measures to prevent further attacks and protect residents in the affected communities.

The government commended the security personnel and community hunters for their intervention, saying their actions helped prevent a planned mass kidnapping.

In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Danmusa, the government urged residents to remain vigilant and provide security agencies with timely and credible information.

It also reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and property across Katsina State.