Nigeria’s military has freed 76 hostages from armed bandits in Katsina state, though one child tragically died during the operation. The rescue unfolded Saturday as air force personnel stormed a hideout at Pauwa Hill in the Kankara local government area.
Authorities said the strike followed intelligence pointing to a notorious bandit leader suspected of killing 50 people in mosque and village raids. Katsina’s internal security commissioner, Nasir Mu’azu, confirmed the rescued captives included women and children, though details on gang casualties remain unclear.
He described the effort as a “successful rescue,” but acknowledged the loss of a child whose ordeal ended in tragedy. In Nigeria’s northwest, bandits thrive on abductions for ransom, raiding villages, looting livestock, and forcing desperate families to pay for loved ones’ release.
Locals sometimes dispute official rescue claims, saying relatives are freed only after secret ransom payments, undermining public faith in state protection. These gangs, rooted in disputes over land and water between farmers and herders, have grown into ruthless networks without ideological leanings.
Officials warn of troubling ties between such groups and militant factions in Nigeria’s northeast, raising fears of escalating violence and instability. For now, the military’s daring strike has offered a brief reprieve for dozens of families, even as one life was lost.