Troops of Operation FANSAR YANMA, in collaboration with local vigilantes, have repelled an attack by bandits on Mada town in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing four of the assailants.

The incident, which occurred at about 10 p.m. on Friday, was the latest in a series of retaliatory assaults by bandits following the killing of a notorious kingpin in the area.

According to a post by security analyst Zagazola Makama on X on Saturday, the troops, acting on intelligence, engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle, forcing them to retreat into the forest with gunshot wounds.

“The bandits stormed the town in an attempt to unleash terror, but the security forces and vigilantes responded effectively. We neutralized four of them, while others escaped with injuries,” a security source told Makama.

A resident, identified as Naziru Bakanike Mada, sustained a gunshot wound on his shoulder during the confrontation and was rushed to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

Zagazola further reported that Friday’s attack was at least the fourth attempt by bandits to overrun Mada in revenge for the killing of a notorious bandit leader, Alhaji Sani Dan Garin Bawo, in an earlier military operation.

Since March 11, fighters loyal to the neutralized kingpin, led by bandit commander Dogo Hamza, have launched multiple retaliatory attacks on Mada.

However, security forces have consistently repelled their incursions, inflicting heavy casualties on them.

“Mada is their burial ground. Let them keep coming and trying their luck, and we shall continue sending them to their maker,” a military official said.

Security forces intervene as Zamfara town comes under heavy attack