Police repel bandit attack in Katsina, rescue four victims

The Katsina State Police Command has foiled a bandit attack in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area, rescuing four kidnapped victims and recovering an AK-47 rifle loaded with five rounds of live ammunition. 

The rescued victims, comprising three women and a nursing baby, were abducted when armed bandits attacked Makwanta village in the early hours of Wednesday, September 16.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, confirmed the attack in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday.

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 noted that the bandits were overpowered by the police team and fled into the surrounding bush with suspected gunshot wounds.

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.

The police said all four victims were rescued unhurt.

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.”

The command maintained that efforts were ongoing to track and arrest the fleeing suspects, adding that 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 commitment to sustaining its operations against banditry and other violent crimes across the state.

He urged residents to remain vigilant and provide security agencies with timely and actionable information that could assist in protecting lives and property.

The command said further developments would be communicated as investigations into the incident progress.