By Ayorinde Oluokun
Katsina state government said 18 suspected bandits have been killed in an operation by a joint security team targeted at an armed group planning to abduct residents for ransom in Bakori Local Government Area of the State.
Katsina State Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs in a statement on Tuesday said the operation was conducted at about 1 a.m. on Monday, September 21 by joint team of security forces comprising hunters, Community Watch Corps members and local vigilantes.
According to the statement, the members of the security team ambushed the bandits at Gidan Iyado, Kakumi Ward, following credible intelligence on the planned attack.
The operatives subsequently engaged the suspected bandits in a gun battle, resulting in the deaths of 18 members of the group.
The ministry said the bandits were members of a gang being led by one Alhaji Musa Duki, a former school headmaster who later became a bandit kingpin operating from Mununu Forest in Faskari Local Government Area.
It also listed items recovered after the gun battle by security operatives to include one G3 rifle, two AK-47 rifles, 14 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition and three motorcycles as well as 96 livestock comprising two cows and 94 sheep, suspected to have been rustled.
The Ministry said no casualty was recorded among the security personnel during the operation.
The Ministry also indicated in the statement that a covert operation was underway to track down Duki and dismantle his criminal network.
Katsina Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr Nasir Mua’zu, commended the hunters, Community Watch Corps members and vigilantes for their contribution to the successful operation.
He also urged residents to sustain the provision of timely and credible intelligence to security agencies to support ongoing efforts to curb banditry across the state.
