Gunmen suspected to be bandits reportedly shot at a medical doctor at the Kankara General Hospital in Katsina State, located in North-West Nigeria.
Reports obtained by Naija News revealed that the victim, Dr Murtala Saleh, was on duty on Tuesday night when the assailants stormed the facility.
Channels Television reported that Saleh was shot in the right thigh while another individual, Kamala Suleiman, sustained an injury to the knee.
According to the police, both individuals are currently receiving medical care and are reported to be in stable condition.
The State Police Command’s spokesperson, Abubakar Aliyu, stated that officers in the vicinity engaged the assailants in a gunfight; however, three additional individuals were abducted by the armed criminals during the incident.
“Efforts are being made to ensure the unhurt rescue of the kidnapped victims as well as the arrest of the perpetrators of the dastardly act,” he said in a statement Wednesday.
The Commissioner of Police for the state, Aliyu Musa, expressed his condemnation of the “senseless attack on healthcare workers and facilities.”
He has directed the deployment of extra operational resources to the location to enhance security and to intensify the search for the perpetrators.
Just last week, a notorious bandit leader known as “Baƙo-baƙo” was neutralized during a clearance operation conducted by Joint Security Forces in Batsari Forest, Batsari Local Government Area.
Naija News reports that the operation, meticulously planned and executed under the cover of dusk, involved a collaborative effort between the Nigerian Army, the Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Katsina Security Watch Corps.
Security sources who spoke with Channels TV disclosed that the combined troops advanced into the bandits’ stronghold with precision, engaging in a fierce gun battle that overwhelmed Baƙo-baƙo and his fighters.
“The operation was a culmination of weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering. Our troops advanced strategically and neutralized the notorious bandit and his group,” a security source revealed.
Naija News understands that Baƙo-baƙo, who had long been on the radar of security agencies, was infamous for orchestrating violent attacks and kidnappings that terrorized communities across Katsina State.
His death marks a significant milestone in the state’s efforts to tackle banditry and restore peace.