No fewer than eight persons, including six bandits, were killed as troops rescued 17 women and six children kidnapped by bandits in Katsina.
According to available information, the bandits had struck in the early hours of Tuesday killing two persons, took 23 women and children hostage and rustled 74 domestic animals.
When the report of the attack, at about 2:30am in Lambo village, Wurma Ward, Kurfi Local Government Area of Katsina State by over 30 bandits armed with AK47 reached operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army and Nigerian Air Force, they blocked all their possible escape routes.
The teams laid siege for the hoodlums between Ummadau and Kwayawa village and engaged them into a fierce gun duel, which led to the death of six of the bandits, who had earlier killed two persons in the village.
The troops also succeeded in rescuing all the 23 kidnapped victims, and recovered 23 cows, 20 sheep, 31 goats, 1) motorcycles and one G3 rifle.
The spokesman of the Katsina State Police Command, Gambo Isah, said search parties are still combing the area with a view to arresting more suspected bandits and/or recover their dead bodies.