By: Odeh Favour Adiya
Operatives of the Katsina State Police Command have successfully repelled a violent attack by armed bandits in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area of the state, rescuing four kidnapped victims unhurt.
During the tactical operation, police operatives also recovered an AK-47 rifle loaded with five rounds of live ammunition from the fleeing assailants.
The rescued victims were identified as 14-year-old Marawiya Musa, 50-year-old Mariya Ibrahim, 21-year-old Amina Ibrahim, and a nursing baby. They were abducted when armed bandits invaded Makwanta village in the early hours of Wednesday.
Disclosing details of the operation on Thursday, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, stated that the division responded swiftly following a late-night distress signal.
According to the statement, “On September 16, 2026, at approximately 12:22 am, a distress call was received at the Dutsin-Ma Divisional Police Headquarters reporting that armed bandits had attacked Makwanta village and abducted three female residents.”
“Upon receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) immediately mobilised a team of operatives to the scene.
The team strategically tracked and blocked the fleeing bandits along the Dutsin-Ma-Danmusa LGA border and engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel,” the statement revealed.
The command noted that the police team overpowered the bandits, forcing them to flee into the surrounding bush with suspected gunshot wounds while leaving behind the abductees and operational items.
Sadiq further said, “During a search of the area, the operatives recovered one AK-47 rifle loaded with five rounds of live ammunition, a Tecno mobile phone, three MP3 players, a knife and three wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.”
Following the successful operation, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ali Umar Fage, commended the DPO and his team for what he described as their “gallantry, tactical precision, and swift response.”
Fage reaffirmed the command’s unwavering commitment to sustaining aggressive operations against banditry and other violent crimes across Katsina State.
He also urged residents of the state to remain vigilant and provide security agencies with timely and actionable information that could assist in protecting lives and property, adding that further developments would be communicated as investigations progress.
