The Police in Katsina have rescued 18 people and an unspecified number of cattle after they repelled bandits attack on commuters and a village in the state.
The bandits reportedly attacked four commercial vehicles traveling to Funtua from Gusau, Zamfara state while other group was attacking Gidan Gada village of Kafur LGA where animals were rustled.
Abubakar Aliyu, the spokesman of the Katsina State Police Command in a statement said the armed men wielding AK-47 rifles stopped two DAF trucks, one canter and a Toyota Avensis along Funtua to Gusau highway, with an intent to kidnap the occupants.
Aliyu said Kafur LGA DPO alongside his counterpart from Malumfashi responded and successfully repelled the bandits’ attack.
He noted that Kafur DPO was injured in the process but is responding to treatment.
“Upon receipt of the report, swiftly the DPOs of Kafur and Malumfashi Divisional Police Headquarters jointly mobilised and traced the suspected armed bandits to the area of Fanisau village, where they engaged the bandits in a gun duel, successfully recovering all the rustled animals.
“Unfortunately, the DPO Kafur sustained a gunshot injury during the encounter and was immediately rushed to the hospital for immediate medical attention and is currently responding to treatment”, said Aliyu.
The spokesman added that efforts are ongoing to arrest the fleeing bandits while appealing to the public to continue supporting security agencies with intelligence information on the whereabouts of the criminals.
