By Eric Elezuo
The Katsina Police Command has said that all the 84 students of the Hizburrahim Islamiyya, Mahuta Village in Dandume LGA of Katsina State, who were kidnapped have been rescued from their assailants.
The Command made the rescue operation known in a statement signed by the Katsina State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Isah Gambo, titled FOILED KIDNAPPING/CATTLE RUSTLING AND RESCUE OF KIDNAPPED VICTIMS AND RECOVERY OF TWELVE (12) RUSTLED COWS, and made available to our correspondent.
The PPRO also highlighted the fact the rescue was as a result of a distress call received by the Divisional Police Officer, Dandume. He said the Islamiyya students were on their way back from a Maulud occasion celebrated at Unguwan Alkasim village, Dandume to Mahuta village when they were intercepted by bandits.
He said the Command also rescued and recovered 12 rustled cows after injuring many of the bandits in a gun duel, adding that a search party is about now combing the forest to arrest fleeing bandits and recover bodies of killed bandits.
Below is Mr. Gambo’s statement:
FOILED KIDNAPPING/CATTLE RUSTLING AND RESCUE OF KIDNAPPED VICTIMS AND RECOVERY OF TWELVE (12) RUSTLED COWS: On 19/12/2020 at about 2200hrs, a distress call was received by DPO Dandume, that some Islamiyya Students of Hizburrahim Islamiyya, Mahuta village, Dandume LGA of Katsina state, numbering about Eighty (80) , while on their way back from Maulud occasion celebrated at Unguwan Alkasim village, Dandume to Mahuta village, were accosted by bandits who had already kidnapped four(4) persons and rustled twelve (12) cows from Danbaure village, Funtua LGA, trying to escape into the forest. On receipt of the report, the DPO led Operations “Puff Adder, Sharan Daji and Vigilante group to the area and engaged the bandits into a fierce gun duel. Subsquently, the teams succeeded in dislodging the bandits and rescued all the eighty four (84) kidnapped victims and recovered all the twelve rustled cows. Search parties are still combing the area with a view of arresting the injured bandits and/or recovery of their dead bodies. Investigation is on going.
