16 killed as hunters foil mass kidnap plot in Katsina state in Nigeria

Security operatives and community hunters in Nigeria's Katsina State killed 14 suspected bandits and foiled a planned mass kidnapping in Gidan Wawo village, Kakumi Ward, Bakori Local Government Area, the state government said.

According to the statement signed by Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs Dr. Nasir Danmusa, intelligence received at about 1:28 a.m. on Friday, October 23, 2026, indicated that 26 heavily armed bandits on 13 motorcycles, led by a kingpin identified as Isiya Kwashen Garwa, were advancing toward Dawan Laila Forest to prepare coordinated attacks on neighbouring communities. Security agencies placed operational assets in Bakori on high alert, disrupting the planned mass abduction.

At about 1:31 p.m. the same day, the bandits attacked a private vehicle carrying four passengers from Kakumi Ward to Illela Market in Sokoto State and set it ablaze, trapping the occupants. Community hunters from Gidan Wawo engaged the fleeing criminals in a gun battle, killing 14 bandits and rescuing three victims alive. Hunter Mohammed Ibrahim Jidda, 29, was killed; fellow hunter Usman Sunday, 25, sustained minor gunshot injuries and is receiving treatment. Traveller Jamilu Lawal, 50, died after being burnt in the vehicle.

The government said intelligence indicated possible reprisal attacks following the bandits' losses and assured residents that countermeasures had been activated with security agencies. It urged residents to remain calm, vigilant and to provide timely, credible intelligence.