Nigerian Army neutralises 45 bandits in Katsina, loses Captain and 2 Soldiers in two-day battle

Nigerian Army troops have killed 45 suspected bandits in a fierce two-day gun battle in Danmusa Local Government Area of Katsina State, dealing a significant blow to criminal networks terrorising the region, but at a painful cost, with a captain and two soldiers losing their lives in the encounter.

The clash began on March 5 when bandits raided Alhazawa village in Musawa LGA, rustling cattle belonging to residents. Community members, with support from some repentant bandits, resisted the raid, killing four of the attackers and recovering the stolen livestock.

Seeking revenge, the bandits returned in large numbers on March 6 and ran into soldiers attached to the Army’s Forward Operating Base in Dan Ali while heading towards Musawa LGA near Maidabino ward, triggering an intense and fierce battle. The operation was launched following credible intelligence gathered by security agencies regarding the movement and activities of the bandits in the area.

Among those killed were two prominent bandit figures, Alti, a nephew and second-in-command to notorious kingpin Adamu Alieru, and another senior commander identified as Damale.

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Alti had recently assumed a more active operational role within the bandit network following the death of his brother, Kachalla Dan Isihu, who had earlier been killed by security forces during counter-banditry operations, and was believed to have coordinated several violent attacks across communities along the Danjibga axis in Tsafe Local Government Area.

Captain Paul Hassan and two other soldiers lost their lives in the encounter. In a statement issued on Saturday, Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs Nasir Mua’zu commended the troops’ courage and extended the state government’s condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers, saying their actions “saved countless lives and disrupted the operations of these dangerous criminals.”

Governor Dikko Umaru Radda reaffirmed that security forces remain on high alert and will continue sustained operations against bandits, adding: “We will not rest until peace is fully restored to every corner of Katsina State.”

Katsina remains one of the worst-affected states in Nigeria’s North-West banditry crisis, with armed groups — many originating from neighbouring Zamfara State — regularly conducting cross-border cattle-rustling raids, kidnappings, and attacks on farming communities.