Nigerian authorities claim to kill 30 criminal 'bandits'

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LAGOS - Nigerian authorities have claimed 30 people from armed criminal gangs died in air strikes in a restive northwestern province this week.

Katsina State's commissioner for internal affairs, Nasir Mua'zu said the "criminals" were raiding three villages on Tuesday when they were killed by government forces.

"Our gallant security forces successfully repelled the attackers... Thirty of the criminals were neutralised through coordinated air strikes as they attempted to escape," Mua'zu said.

A civilian, two soldiers and three policemen were also killed, Mua'zu said in a statement on Wednesday.

Nigerian authorities' claims against members of armed gangs have been disputed in the past.

An air strike in Zamfara state in May killed 20 civilians who had mobilised to fight them, according to residents. The air force claimed it killed "armed terrorists".

Katsina is part of a region in central and northwestern Nigeria that has for years been terrorised by gangs who stage deadly raids and kidnappings and burn homes after looting them.

The gangs maintain camps in forests straddling Zamfara, Katsina, and Kaduna states in the northwest, and Niger in the country's centre, and have carried out mass kidnappings of students from schools.

In 2023, Katsina governor Dikko Umar Radda established a community watch comprising 2,000 vigilantes to assist the military and police in fighting the "bandits", as the gang members are locally called.

Last month, state officials signed a peace pact with a dozen bandit leaders, hoping to bring lasting respite ahead of the planting season.

Mua'zu vowed the state would continue its fight against criminal gangs.

"We will not rest until every criminal element is eliminated from our territory," said Mua'zu.