A notorious bandit leader, Idi Abasu Aiki, and more than 60 other suspected bandits were reportedly killed during an intelligence-led security operation in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The operation, according to security analyst Zagazola Makama, was carried out by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) with support from members of the Katsina State Community Vigilantes and specially trained local hunters.
Makama said the operation was launched after intelligence indicated that over 200 armed bandits, allegedly led by Aiki, were mobilising for a reprisal attack on communities accused of collaborating with local security groups protecting villages in the area.
According to him, the armed group, reinforced by fighters linked to the Ado Aleru gang in neighbouring Zamfara State, moved into Guga village in Bakori LGA to carry out the planned assault.
“Over 200 armed bandits led by kingpin Idi Abasu Aiki stormed Guga village in Bakori LGA of Katsina State. Assisted by several bandits from the Ado Aleru band in Zamfara State, the bandits were out to attack communities they believed had been supporting Community Watch Corps protecting the surrounding villages,” Makama said.
He explained that the planned attack was believed to be in retaliation for an earlier clash in Dawan Laila village, where local hunters reportedly inflicted significant casualties on the bandits.
However, Makama said the security agencies had already received intelligence about the movement of the armed group and prepared an ambush.
“Unknown to the bandits, the DSS had water-tight intelligence plans. The over 200 armed bandits literally walked into a trap. Over 60 of them, including Idi Abasu Aiki and 14 of their top commanders, didn’t come out of that trap alive,” he added.
Despite the reported success of the operation, Makama disclosed that four members of the Katsina State Community Vigilantes and local hunters who participated in the raid lost their lives during the exchange of gunfire.
He further stated that security personnel later carried out clearance operations in the area, during which weapons and other items allegedly abandoned by the fleeing bandits were recovered.
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