In a swift and coordinated operation, the Katsina State Police Command, alongside military personnel and Community Watch Corps (CWC) members, has successfully liberated 14 abducted passengers of the Katsina State Transport Authority (KSTA).

According to a statement by the command’s spokesperson, Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, released Thursday evening, the daring rescue mission ensued after armed assailants ambushed a KTSTA bus along the Kankara to Marabar Kankara road. The attackers, wielding AK-47 rifles, abducted 18 passengers, but the joint security team swiftly intervened.

“On Thursday, March 21, 2024, at approximately 1330 hrs, suspected armed bandits launched an assault on a KTSTA bus driven by Dabo Filalawa in Gidan Kifi village. Responding to the distress call, a combined force of Police operatives from Kankara Divisional Police Headquarters, military personnel, and Katsina State Community Watch Corps members engaged the criminals in a fierce gun battle, resulting in the successful rescue of fourteen kidnapped victims,” the statement detailed.

Efforts are currently underway to ensure the safe return of the remaining four hostages, as the joint security team maintains its proactive stance against criminal elements.