Air Force strikes open path to freedom as 62 abductees escape bandits’ camp in Katsina

What began as a terrifying week of captivity ended in dramatic fashion on Saturday evening when 62 abducted villagers – mostly women and children – escaped from a notorious bandit camp in Katsina State, following a decisive Nigerian Air Force (NAF) airstrike.

The daring operation, carried out around 5:10 p.m., targeted the stronghold of a feared warlord, Muhammadu Fulani, in Jigawa Sawai, a community in Danmusa Local Government Area, close to the Zamfara border. The sudden aerial bombardment forced Fulani’s men to scatter, giving the captives a rare chance at freedom.

According to Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Nasir Muazu, dozens of escapees are now under government care. Twelve are receiving medical attention at Matazu General Hospital, while 16 remain in the custody of military operatives at an Army Forward Operating Base in Kaiga Malamai.

“During interviews with the rescued victims, it was confirmed that the bandits fled as a result of the airstrike,” Dr. Muazu revealed. “The victims disclosed that 62 people broke free and ran in different directions, seizing the opportunity created by the bombardment.”

Most of those rescued had been abducted just five days earlier, on the night of Monday, August 11, when Fulani’s gang stormed Sayaya village in Matazu Local Government Area. The bandits, long notorious for raiding communities across Matazu, Kankia, Dutsinma, and parts of neighbouring Kano State, had kept the villagers in captivity until Saturday’s dramatic turn of events.

In recent months, the surge in bandit attacks across Katsina has tested the resolve of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s administration. But the government has responded with tougher measures, including deploying a Quick Response Wing of the Nigerian Air Force to reinforce security in hotspots like Matazu and Bakori.

For families of the rescued, the relief is profound. Though some of the victims remain traumatised and in need of medical care, officials have assured that they will soon be reunited with their loved ones after proper examinations.

“The general security situation in the area is calm, and our troops are monitoring for possible follow-up operations,” Dr. Muazu said. “The State Government, under the leadership of Governor Radda, commends the gallant efforts of our security forces and reaffirms its commitment to ending banditry in the state.”

The escape of the 62 captives is both a rare victory and a poignant reminder of the ongoing war against rural banditry in the North-West. For now, though, it is a story of survival, resilience, and a glimmer of hope in a region long haunted by fear.