Traditional rulers in Katsina State have commended the military, Department of State Services (DSS) and local vigilante groups for foiling another attempt by armed bandits to carry out a mass abduction in Bakori Local Government Area.

The commendation followed an operation in which security operatives disrupted the movement of the bandits and rescued 18 people who had been held in captivity.

The rescued victims comprised 14 females and four males, including children and toddlers, according to one of the district heads who spoke on the incident.

The traditional ruler said the bandits, allegedly led by a man identified as Rabiu and operating from a camp linked to Alhaji Musa Duki in Mununu Forest, Faskari Local Government Area, attempted to abduct residents of Unguwan Hudu village in Kakumi Ward, Bakori.

He said the operation was thwarted after intelligence supplied by the DSS enabled security operatives to block the route being used by the attackers.

According to him, the bandits, apparently suspecting that security forces had cordoned off their route into the community, abandoned their mission and fled, leaving the 18 victims behind.

He added that blood trails found along the escape route suggested that at least seven of the fleeing bandits may have sustained gunshot injuries.

One of the rescued victims, 14-year-old Zainab Ashiru, was also reportedly injured by gunfire and taken to the General Hospital, Bakori, for treatment.

The traditional rulers expressed appreciation for the continued cooperation among security agencies, traditional institutions and community-based security groups, saying such collaboration had helped prevent attacks on farming communities.

They noted that the latest operation came less than two weeks after security forces foiled another attempted mass abduction in Gidan Iyado, Kakumi Ward, in the same local government area.

The earlier operation reportedly resulted in the killing of 18 bandits by a combined team of the military, DSS and community watch corps.

The traditional rulers said the repeated successful operations were helping to disrupt the activities of criminal groups operating across communities in Katsina State and expressed hope that security agencies would sustain the cooperation with local communities.