The Zamfara State Police Command says it has repelled coordinated bandit attacks in Gummi, Talata Mafara and Gusau Local Government Areas, rescuing an abducted staff member of the Independent National Electoral Commission and other captives while recovering hundreds of rustled cattle.

The command’s spokesperson, DSP Yazid Abubakar, disclosed this in a statement.

According to the statement, the attacks began on Tuesday when about 50 motorcycles carrying armed bandits stormed villages around Ruwan Bore District in Talata Mafara Local Government Area, rustling hundreds of cattle.

Abubakar said a woman sustained a stray bullet injury during the attack and was taken to the General Hospital, Talata Mafara, where she is receiving treatment.

He added that the bandits later moved into Gummi Local Government Area, where they abducted an INEC official, Aliyu Mohammed, who was on official assignment with the National Examinations Council.

“The victim had transported examination scripts from various secondary schools within Gummi Local Government Area to Sokoto before he was abducted along the Gummi-Sokoto Road. His official white Toyota Hilux vehicle… was found abandoned at Tafkin Area,” the statement read.

The police said operatives from the Gummi Division recovered the abandoned vehicle and the examination scripts, which were handed over to the principal of Government Unity Secondary School, Gummi, Ashiru Umar, for onwards delivery to the appropriate office in Sokoto.

Abubakar said the command subsequently deployed its Violent Crime Response Unit after receiving a distress call from troops operating in Gando Forest, where intelligence indicated that a large number of bandits had assembled with reinforcements from neighbouring Sokoto and Kebbi states.

The combined security team engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle. The overwhelming firepower and superior tactical response forced the criminals to flee with significant casualties,” he said.

He added, “During the operation, the kidnapped INEC official and another victim were successfully rescued unhurt. Hundreds of rustled cattle were also recovered and reunited with their rightful owners, while several fleeing bandits escaped into the forest with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.”

The police spokesperson further disclosed that on July 8, the command received another distress call over the abduction of motorists and farmers at Kwanar Ganuwa in Gusau Local Government Area.

He explained that operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, supported by the Police Mobile Force, engaged the attackers in a gun battle, forcing them to abandon their captives and flee into the surrounding forest.

“The victims were successfully rescued without harm and taken to safety,” the statement added.

The Commissioner of Police, A.M. Bello, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive operations against criminal elements and urged residents to continue providing timely information on suspicious activities to security agencies.

In June, the command repelled similar coordinated bandit attacks in parts of the state, killing four suspected bandits, recovering a motorcycle and leaving several others with gunshot injuries during separate security operations. (The PUNCH)