The Katsina State Government has said community hunters killed 14 suspected bandits who allegedly planned a mass abduction in Gidan Wawo village, Bakori Local Government Area.
The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Danmusa, disclosed this in a statement, saying the suspected bandits were killed after a planned attack on the community was foiled.
Danmusa said intelligence received at about 1:28 a.m. on Friday indicated that 26 heavily armed bandits riding on 13 motorcycles were heading towards Dawan Laila Forest ahead of planned attacks on neighbouring communities.
He identified the suspected leader of the group as Isiya Kwashen Garwa, a suspected bandit kingpin.
According to the commissioner, security agencies subsequently placed all operational assets in Bakori LGA on high alert, disrupting the planned abduction.
He added that the suspected bandits attacked a private vehicle conveying four passengers from Kakumi ward to Illela market in Sokoto State on the same day and set it ablaze.
Danmusa said community hunters from Gidan Wawo mobilised and engaged the fleeing attackers in a gun battle.
He added that the hunters rescued three passengers alive during the operation.
The commissioner, however, disclosed that two people died in the incident: Mohammed Jidda, a community hunter, and Jamilu Lawal, a passenger who succumbed to burns sustained in the vehicle fire.
He said another hunter sustained minor gunshot injuries and was receiving medical treatment.
Danmusa further said intelligence reports indicated the possibility of reprisal attacks following the suspected bandits’ losses.
He added that countermeasures had been activated in collaboration with security agencies to prevent further threats and protect communities in the area.