Joint security operatives made up of local hunters and the Katsina State Community Watch Corps have beaten back a major bandit assault on Guga Village in Bakori Local Government Area. The operation left more than 40 armed bandits dead and eliminated several top commanders in their ranks.
The Katsina State Government announced the development on Monday through Nasir Mu'azu, the commissioner for internal security and home affairs. He said the attack unfolded around 5:40 p.m. on Sunday when over 200 heavily armed bandits stormed the village.
The assailants were led by notorious bandit kingpin Idi Abasu Aiki, according to Mu'azu. They had backing from the Ado Aleru group based in neighbouring Zamfara State and launched what security officials described as a reprisal operation.
Intelligence work before the attack showed the bandits wanted to overrun the hunters and Community Watch Corps protecting the area, Mu'azu told reporters. Their ultimate goal was to stage coordinated strikes against Bakori town and surrounding villages.
The government's intelligence network and surveillance capabilities enabled security teams to mount a rapid and coordinated response, he explained. A fierce firefight broke out, forcing the attackers to flee with substantial losses.
"More than 40 bandits were neutralised during the operation, while follow-up intelligence confirmed that about eight senior commanders of the criminal group were eliminated," Mu'azu said. The notorious bandit leader Idi Abasu Aiki sustained life-threatening gunshot injuries during the clash, he added.
This latest success builds on an earlier victory recorded on July 7, 2026, at Dawan Laila Village in the same local government area. The hunters and Community Watch Corps inflicted heavy casualties on the same criminal network in that operation.
"The latest attack was a desperate attempt by the bandits to regain lost ground and undermine the community-based security architecture established by the Katsina State Government," Mu'azu stated. Security personnel have begun clearing operations to recover weapons and other items abandoned by fleeing criminals.
Surveillance has been stepped up across the region to prevent fresh attacks, the commissioner confirmed. However, the government acknowledged a painful cost to the victory.
Five members of the hunters' team were killed after being caught outside the frontline while shopping during the operation. Mu'azu expressed condolences to their families on behalf of the government and people of Katsina State.
"These courageous patriots paid the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our communities," he said. The commissioner assured residents that calm had returned to affected areas and pledged sustained collaborative security efforts to protect lives and property across the state.
