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A child was killed on Friday as the Nigerian military rescued 76 persons, most of them children, after an air strike destroyed a bandit hideout in Katsina State, officials have confirmed.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) conducted the operation on Friday evening, targeting the enclave of a wanted gang leader known as Babaro at Pauwa Hill, in the Kankara area.
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The strike was launched in response to a recent deadly attack and mass abduction by the gang in Gidan Mantau.
In a statement, the Commissioner for Internal Security, Nasir Mu’azu, confirmed that all those abducted from Gidan Mantau were among the 76 people rescued.
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However, he added that a child tragically lost his life during the ordeal. Official photographs accompanying the government’s announcement, which showed the freed hostages, indicated that the vast majority of the victims were underage children.
Armed criminal gangs, referred to locally as bandits, have terrorised North-west Nigeria for years, establishing camps in vast forests from which they launch attacks on villages, schools, and highways to carry out mass kidnappings for ransom.
ALSO READ: Five security personnel killed in shootout with Katsina bandits
Mr Mu’azu said the operation was part of a renewed and broader strategy to “dismantle criminal hideouts” and “put an end to the cycle of killings, kidnappings, and extortion that have plagued innocent citizens.”
The Katsina State Government commended the security forces, reaffirming its commitment to providing logistical and intelligence support to eradicate banditry.
Citizens were also urged to remain vigilant and provide timely information to assist with ongoing operations.
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