By Abdullahi Inuwa
Police operatives in Katsina State have thwarted a midnight bandit operation in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area, rescuing four kidnapped victims and recovering an AK-47 rifle loaded with live ammunition.
The dramatic encounter occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, September 16, 2026, after police received a distress call at about 12:22 a.m. that armed bandits had stormed Makwanta Village and abducted three female residents.
According to the Katsina State Police Command, the Dutsin-Ma Divisional Police Officer swiftly mobilised operatives to respond to the attack.
The police team reportedly pursued the fleeing attackers and intercepted them along the Dutsin-Ma–Danmusa border, where a gun battle ensued.
The Command said the bandits, unable to withstand the police response, retreated into the surrounding bush, with some of them believed to have sustained gunshot wounds.
In the course of the operation, police rescued the kidnapped victims unhurt.
They were identified as 14-year-old Marawiya Musa, 50-year-old Mariya Ibrahim and 21-year-old Amina Ibrahim, alongside a nursing baby.
The police said a subsequent search of the area yielded an AK-47 rifle loaded with five rounds of live ammunition.
Other items recovered from the scene included a Tecno mobile phone, three MP3 players, a knife and three wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
The Command said tactical teams have intensified efforts to locate and arrest the fleeing suspects, as investigation into the incident continues.
Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, CP Ali Umar Fage, commended the DPO and his operatives for what he described as their gallantry, tactical precision and prompt response to the distress call.
Fage reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to sustaining operations against banditry and other violent crimes across Katsina State.
He also called on residents to remain vigilant and provide security agencies with timely and actionable information capable of helping to prevent attacks and protect lives and property.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, issued the statement on behalf of the Commissioner of Police on September 17, 2026.
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