5 hunters killed as security forces neutralise 40 terrorists in Katsina

From Agaju Madugba, Katsina

The Katsina State Government has announced a major security breakthrough following the successful repulsion of a large-scale bandit attack on Guga Village in Bakori Local Government Area, where local hunters and members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps reportedly killed more than 40 bandits, including several top commanders.

A statement issued yesterday by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr Nasir Mu’azu, said the attack occurred at about 5:40 p.m. on Sunday when over 200 heavily armed bandits, led by notorious kingpin Idi Abasu Aiki and supported by members of the Ado Aleru gang from neighbouring Zamfara State, invaded Guga Village in what authorities described as a reprisal attack.

According to the statement, intelligence reports had revealed that the attackers planned to dislodge local hunters and members of the Community Watch Corps protecting communities in the area before launching coordinated attacks on Bakori town and neighbouring villages.

It stated that sustained intelligence gathering and surveillance enabled security personnel to deploy prompt and coordinated countermeasures, leading to a fierce gun battle that forced the attackers to retreat after suffering heavy casualties.

As a result, more than 40 bandits were neutralised during the operation, while follow-up intelligence confirmed that about eight senior commanders of the criminal group were also eliminated.

The statement added that the notorious bandit leader, Idi Abasu Aiki, sustained life-threatening gunshot injuries during the encounter.

The government noted that the latest success followed an earlier operation carried out on July 7, 2026, at Dawan Laila Village in Bakori Local Government Area, where the same criminal network suffered significant losses at the hands of local hunters and the Community Watch Corps.

According to the statement, the latest attack was a desperate attempt by the bandits to regain lost ground and undermine the community-based security architecture established by the Katsina State Government.

It added that security operatives had commenced clearance operations in the area to recover abandoned weapons and other items left behind by the fleeing criminals, while surveillance had been intensified to prevent further attacks.

The government, however, expressed deep sorrow over the death of five members of the hunters’ team, who were fatally shot after they were caught outside the frontline while attending to personal shopping activities during the operation.

“These courageous patriots paid the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our communities,” the statement said.

The government further disclosed that normalcy had been restored to the affected communities and reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining collaborative security operations aimed at protecting lives and property across the state.