Bandits kill 5 security operatives in Katsina ambush

Armed bandits reportedly killed at least five members of the Katsina State local community security operatives on Saturday.

The deadly bandits also set the operatives’ van ablaze in Maharba village, Matazu Local Government Area.

Eyewitnesses said the attack occurred when the security personnel responded to a distress call about the presence of armed bandits in the area.

According to PUNCH, the assailants numbering about 20 and riding motorcycles, ambushed the security team near a riverbank close to the village.

Hiding behind trees, they reportedly opened fire and set ablaze the Hilux van conveying the security operatives, killing all five onboard.

Among the deceased was the unit commander, Mallam Sanusi, who oversaw operations in Kusada, Kankia, and parts of Charanchi Local Government Areas.

In response, Governor Dikko Radda led a high-level delegation of security officials to the attack site for an on-the-spot assessment.

The delegation, according to the newspaper, included the State Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, Dr Nasiru Muazu; the State Commissioner of Police, and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Others were the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abdulkadir Nasir, among others.