ABUJA, July 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 suspected bandits, including eight suspected senior commanders, were killed after Nigerian security forces repelled an attack on a village in the northern state of Katsina, a state government official said Tuesday.
Nasir Mu'azu, commissioner for internal security and home affairs in Katsina State, said in a statement that joint security operatives engaged the bandits after the group attacked Guga village in Bakori Local Government Area on Sunday.
According to Mu'azu, intelligence reports had indicated that the bandits planned to attack several villages before launching coordinated assaults on Bakori town.
He said Idi Abasu Aiki, the alleged leader of the bandit group, was believed to have sustained life-threatening gunshot wounds during the exchange of fire, as security forces forced the attackers to retreat in disarray.
The attempted attack, believed to be linked to an earlier operation in the same area on July 7 during which security forces reportedly inflicted heavy losses on the bandits, was aimed at regaining lost ground and undermining the community-based security architecture established by the state government, Mu'azu said.
According to the official, security forces have launched clearance operations to recover weapons and other items abandoned by the fleeing attackers, while surveillance has been intensified to prevent further attacks. ■
