Agro Rangers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, on Saturday, thwarted an attack by suspected bandits on the Federal Government’s grain silo in the Dutsinma Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Buhari Hamisu, the NSCDC’s spokesman, said in a statement on Sunday that the bandits who carried out the attack about 1 a.m. sought to demolish the silo and abduct its manager, Mr Lawal Shitu-Yar’adua.
According to Hamisu, the Agro Rangers responded quickly, engaging the bandits in a gunfight that lasted more than two hours.
“The heroic operators defeated the crooks, who scaled the reserve’s rear gate and fled with severe injuries. The silo was not harmed, nor did the offenders complete their heinous conduct,” the NSCDC official noted.
The silo, Hamisu noted, is used to store grains being distributed to the people of Katsina, Zamfara, and Sokoto states.
“The command remains dedicated to promoting safety and security for the good people of the state and Nigeria as a whole, as well as providing adequate protection of critical national assets and infrastructure,” he added.
The NSCDC spokesperson also disclosed that “relevant Security agencies were alerted for reinforcement, while we have detailed more personnel to be deployed to the location and to increase the firepower of the operatives on the ground to prevent reoccurrence of the attacks.”
Five Bandits Neutralised
Saturday’s attack on the Federal Government’s silo came as the police in the state a day earlier, said it neutralised five suspected bandits, rescued over 100 kidnapped victims and recovered 658 rustled animals from March 1 to 31.
Within the period under review, the police noted that a total number of 51 cases of major crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping, culpable homicides, and cattle rustling among others, were reported, and 30 cases were charged to court.
Disclosing this in a press briefing on Friday, the Police Spokesman, ASP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, noted that a total number of 64 suspects were arrested in connection with these cases.
He explained that a total number of 9 suspected armed robbers, 11 murder suspects, 29 suspected rapists, and a total number of 19 suspects were arrested for various offences such as criminal force, intimidation, inciting disturbance, theft and belonging to a gang of brigands, among others.
Katsina remains prominent among vulnerable states as bandits attacks have intensified in recent times in the Northwestern part of the country.