Police foil kidnap attempt in Katsina, neutralize bandit and recover machine gun

Operatives of the Katsina State Police Command have foiled a kidnap attempt in Dandume community, neutralized a suspected bandit and recovered a general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) with 27 rounds of 94.5mm live ammunition.  

Spokesperson of the command, ASP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, January 26, 2024, said the operation was led by Dandume DPO. 

“On January 25, 2024, at about 1930hrs, a report was received at the Dandume divisional police headquarters on the movement of some suspected armed bandits in their numbers, wielding dangerous weapons such as General-Purpose Machine Gun (GMPG) and AK-47 rifles, coming towards Dandume LGA,” the statement read. 

“Upon receipt of the report, promptly, DPO Dandume mobilised men of both Operation Sharan Daji and Restore Peace and responded to the scene. The team gallantly engaged the suspected bandits in a fierce gun duel and succeeded in repelling the attack.

“In the course of scanning the scene, the body of one (1) suspected bandit as well as one (1) general-purpose machine gun with twenty-seven (27) rounds of 94.5mm live ammunition were recovered from the scene.

“The Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, CP Aliyu Abubakar Musa, while commending the officers outstanding display of bravery, dedication, and professionalism, urges the good people of Katsina State to continue to avail the command and other security agencies in the state with timely information on suspected criminal activity to enable the command and other security agencies to take swift and decisive action against any recalcitrant criminal in the state. 

“He further reiterated the command’s commitment to ensuring the protection of the lives and property of the good people of the state under his stewardship.”