The Nigerian Air Force has rescued no fewer than 76 victims, including several children, after carrying out an air strike on a notorious bandits’ enclave in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The Friday evening operation reportedly targeted the hideout of a dreaded bandit leader identified as Babaro, who was said to have masterminded last week’s deadly assault on Gidan Mantau in Malumfashi.
A statement issued by the Katsina State Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs described the strike on the Pauwa Hill camp as a precision raid designed to cripple Babaro’s criminal network.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Nasir Mu’azu, confirmed that those abducted during the Gidan Mantau attack were among the freed captives.
He added that one child, however, lost his life during the ordeal.
Photographs attached to the ministry’s release showed that many of those rescued were children.
Mu’azu commended the Nigerian Air Force and other security agencies for what he described as part of a “broader strategy” to eliminate criminal hideouts and restore peace in the state.
Katsina has witnessed increasing cases of armed banditry in recent months, with frequent kidnappings and violent raids on rural communities.
The government said it would continue to provide intelligence and logistics support to security agencies in the fight.
Residents were also urged to remain alert and furnish security operatives with timely information to aid ongoing operations.