The Agro Rangers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, early Saturday, repelled an attack by suspected bandits on the Federal Government’s grain silo in the Dutsinma Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The NSCDC spokesman, Buhari Hamisu made the disclosure on Sunday in a statement.
Hamisu disclosed that the bandits who carried out the attack at about 1 a.m., wanted to destroy the silo and abduct its manager, Mr Lawal Shitu-Yar’adua.
He added that the Agro Rangers responded swiftly, engaging the bandits in a fierce gun duel for over two hours.
“The valiant operatives overpowered the criminals, who scaled the rear fence of the reserve and escaped with serious injuries. The silo was not damaged, nor did the criminals succeed in their nefarious act,” the NSCDC spokesman added.
In a similar incident, it would be recalled that operatives of the state police command arrested 64 suspects for various major crimes including alleged kidnap, culpable homicide and armed robbery from 1st to 31st, March, 2024.
The command’s spokesman, ASP Abubakar Aliyu made the disclosure on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Musa at a press conference in katsina highlighting its achievements during the period under review.
He put the number of major cases recorded by the command in the period at 51, out of which, he said, 30 were charged to court.
Aliyu gave further details on the achievements thus : “within the period under review, a total number of about fifty-one (51) cases of major crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping, culpable homicides, cattle rustling among others, were reported, and thirty (30) cases were charged to court as a total number of sixty-four (64) suspects were arrested in connection with these suspected cases.”
The police spokesman also disclosed that the command arrested nine (9) suspected armed robbers; eleven (11) murder suspects; twenty-nine (29) suspected rapists during the period.
He added that nineteen (19) suspects were arrested for various offences such as criminal force, intimidation, inciting disturbance, theft, and belonging to gang of brigands, among others during the period.
According to him, the command also succeeded in “neutralising five (5) suspected bandits, rescuing over one hundred (100) kidnapped victims, and recovered six hundred and fifty-eight (658) rustled animals” during the period.