Police save kidnapped woman and recover stolen cattle in Katsina

The police in Katsina State have saved a kidnapped woman and recovered 15 stolen cattle in two separate operations in Funtua and Musawa local government areas.

The police spokesperson in the state, Abubakar Aliyu, shared this news in a statement on Sunday.

Mr Aliyu explained that the first operation happened after they got a tip-off around 2 a.m. on July 19. This was about the movement of suspected bandits between Funtua and Dandume local government areas.

He said the armed group was trying to move stolen cattle across the border between the two areas. The divisional police officer at the Central Police Station in Funtua led officers to the scene, where the suspected bandits started shooting at them.

The police spokesperson mentioned that the officers shot back, which made the attackers leave their captives and cattle behind as they ran into a nearby forest. In their search of the area, the officers rescued a woman known as Hafiza Rabiu and recovered seven cattle.

Mr Aliyu added that the woman received medical attention before she was reunited with her family. He did not provide details on when or where she was kidnapped or how long she had been held.

In a different case, the police reported that suspected bandits attacked Kuru village in Musawa Local Government Area. This happened around 6:30 a.m. on July 17, and they stole an unknown number of cattle.

According to Mr Aliyu, officers from the Musawa Police Division, along with members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps, chased the attackers into a nearby bush. He said the armed group shot at the security personnel before leaving behind eight cattle and fleeing.

There were no arrests made during either operation, and the police did not mention recovering any guns or ammunition from the attackers. The police spokesperson also did not say if any officer, Community Watch Corps member, civilian, or suspected attacker was hurt during the shootouts.

He stated that efforts were ongoing to identify and catch the fleeing suspects. The Commissioner of Police in Katsina State, Ali Fage, praised the officers and Community Watch Corps members who took part in the operations.

He also encouraged residents to keep giving the police information that could help with security efforts in the state.