Over 60 suspected bandits were neutralized in Katsina State following a highly successful, intelligence-driven ambush orchestrated by the Department of State Services (DSS) . The high-stakes operation unfolded in the Bakori Local Government Area (LGA) after security forces intercepted critical data regarding a planned criminal invasion. Working alongside Katsina State Community Vigilantes and expert local hunters, state operatives positioned themselves effectively to dismantle the heavily armed group before they could terrorise nearby settlements.

Among the dead is the notorious bandit kingpin Idi Abasu Aiki , a major target who had long evaded capture while masterminding widespread violence across the Northwest region. Security sources confirmed that Aiki was the primary architect behind numerous deadly raids, mass abductions, and attacks spanning both Katsina and Zamfara states . His elimination, alongside dozens of his fighters, marks a massive tactical victory for joint security forces striving to restore peace and stability to the region.

According to the sources, the operation was backed by members of the Katsina State Community vigilantes and specially-trained hunters, of which four of them were killed by the bandits.

Said one of the sources, “Over 200 armed bandits led by kingpin Idi Abasu Aiki stormed Guga village in Bakori LGA of Katsina State.

“Assisted by several bandits from the Ado Aleru band in Zamfara State, the bandits were out to attack communities they believed had been supporting Community Watch Corps protecting the surrounding villages,” offered the source.

Early last month, the bandits suffered heavy casualties at Dawan Laila village, Bakori LGA, in the hands of the hunters.

The bandits, therefore, were out on a reprisal mission to dislodge the frontline community’s defence group, and thereafter proceed to inflict mass casualties on surrounding villages, the source added.

He continued, “Unknown to the bandits, the DSS had water-tight intelligence plans. The over 200 armed bandits literally walked into a trap. Over 60 of them, including Idi Abasu Aiki and 14 of their top commanders, didn’t come out of that trap alive.”

Another security source disclosed that the DSS and their support security groups undertook massive clearance operation to recover weapons and other items of concern abandoned by the bandits.