The Kaduna State Police Command has apprehended a 34-year-old alleged bandit leader, Mati Bagio, after being pursued by security forces for over a decade.
In a statement, the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, revealed that the suspect, who resides in Unguwan Galadima within the Shika District of Giwa Local Government Area, had been on the police’s wanted list for eleven years. He is also accused of heading a criminal gang responsible for terrorising numerous communities in both Kaduna and Katsina States over the years.
Police reports indicate that Bagio was allegedly behind several attacks in the Giwa, Hunkuyi, Faskari, Dandume, and Funtua Local Government Areas of Kaduna and Katsina before his capture.
During the arrest operation, authorities recovered a significant number of advanced weapons, ammunition, a stolen Toyota Prado SUV, and two motorcycles.
The statement read, “On 18th July, 2025, at about 0530 hours, acting on credible intelligence, a team of detectives led by the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, CSP Sani Zuntu, successfully tracked and arrested a notorious gang leader popularly known as Mati Bagio, a 34-year-old male of Unguwan Galadima in Shika District, Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
“The suspect is a notorious bandit leader who terrorised Kaduna and Katsina states along Giwa, Hunkuyi, Faskari, Dandume, and Funtua Local Government Areas. He had been on the run for the past 11 years. He was just apprehended at his residence, where a significant cache of arms and ammunition was recovered”.
“Items recovered from the suspect include one AK-47 rifle; one fabricated AK-47 rifle; one pump-action gun; two English pistols; two AK-47 magazines; two LAR rifle magazines; four fabricated AK-47 butts; four AK-47 live ammunition rounds; 10 pump-action cartridges; 87 rounds of pistol ammunition; one machete; two torchlights; and one unjamming rod.”