Troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) have foiled an attempted incursion by suspected bandits into some communities in Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State.
The attack was foiled following a prolonged gun battle that lasted several hours.
The clash, which began late Thursday and extended into the early hours of Friday, occurred in Yankwada, Babanduhu and other neighbouring villages.
The bandits were said to have stormed the communities on motorcycles, firing sporadically.
Confirming the incident, a Nigerian Army’s spokesperson in Kano, Maj. Zubair Babatunde said the attackers launched the operation as a revenge mission after losing some of their fighters to military firepower during an earlier encounter last week.
According to him, the assailants invaded the affected villages at about 1:00 a.m., but were swiftly engaged by troops.
“The bandits were effectively engaged and dislodged by the military,” Babatunde said, adding that the timely response of the troops prevented casualties and significant destruction of property.
He reassured residents of the area of the military’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property, urging them to continue to cooperate with security agencies by providing timely and credible information. He said troops remained on high alert to forestall further attacks and sustain peace across the state.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Shanono/Bagwai Community Security Forum, Alhaji Yahya Bagobiri, also confirmed the attack, describing it as a reprisal operation following the killing of nine bandits by the military last week.
According to Bagobiri, the bandits arrived on more than 50 motorcycles, each carrying three armed men wielding heavy weapons, including bazookas, and opened fire between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
He claimed that one civilian was killed during the attack and about 100 cows rustled, but commended the military for preventing the bandits from penetrating major towns in the area.
“The bandits were dislodged by the military’s tactical fighting despite coming with heavy arms,” he said, calling on the Federal Government to deploy more personnel and provide additional arms to complement security efforts.
Bagobiri said enhanced military presence and cooperation with the Nigerian Air Force would help contain banditry in Shanono, Bagwai, Tsanyawa and Gwarzo local government areas, adding that the attackers’ intention was to penetrate deeper into Kano.
However, reacting to Bagobiri’s claims, the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 3 Brigade Nigerian Army, Capt. Zubairu Babatunde, said there were no civilian casualty or cattle rustling during the incident.
“All the details are true except they did not kill anyone and there was no rustling of cows,” he said.