Military neutralises five bandits in Katsina, loses officer

The Nigerian Army has disclosed that it lost one of its officers last week while repelling bandits’ attack on Diskiru Community in Dandume Council Area of Katsina State.

It, however, said that five bandits were neutralised, while three women and their children were rescued during the operation.

Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Benard Onyeuko, disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday in Katsina, saying armed bandits in their hundreds, attacked the community during a reprisal, after losing three of their members in an earlier attack.

The state police command also confirmed that 17 persons, including 12 civilians, four vigilante members, and security personnel lost their lives during the attack.

Onyeuko said the soldier, who was a member of Operation Sahel Sanity, was killed during the encounter while trying to rescue one of the kidnapped women.

“On October 29, 2020, troops responded to a distress call about bandits activities at Diskuru village in Faskari Council Area of Katsina State.

“On arrival, the gallant troops engaged the bandits in a fierce firefight, forcing them to withdraw in disarray.

“During the encounter, the troops neutralised three bandits, as several others escaped with various degrees of gunshot wounds,” he said.

He explained that during the exploitation phase, two additional bandits’ bodies were discovered on their withdrawal route, adding that in the aftermath of the encounter, three women and their infants earlier kidnapped by the bandits were rescued.

“Regrettably, one soldier died in an attempt to save one of the nursing mothers in the heat of the encounter,” he added.