Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
KANO, Nigeria – In a tense gun battle on the edges of the vast Dansoshiya Forest, operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kano State Command, have thwarted a combined kidnapping and cattle rustling attempt, rescuing two young men and their injured 70‑year‑old father. The confrontation unfolded on the evening of Thursday, June 4, 2026, in the remote community of Bakin Komau, located in the Dangora area of Kiru Local Government Area, a known flashpoint for rural banditry in Kano State.
Details of the operation were confirmed in an official statement issued on Friday, June 5, 2026, by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SC Ibrahim Abdullahi. According to the statement, the incident began when a gang of armed assailants launched a brutal attack on a local shepherd identified as Alhaji Saleh. The attackers inflicted serious physical injuries on the elderly herder before seizing his two sons, Abubakar Saleh, 36, and Muhammad Inuwa Dille, 30, alongside an undisclosed number of livestock . The gang’s intention was twofold: to rustle the cattle and to hold the two men for ransom.
Upon receiving a distress report from the community, a tactical team of NSCDC personnel who were stationed near the Dansoshiya Forest was immediately mobilized. The officers swiftly moved to the scene and engaged the fleeing criminals in a fierce gun duel. The exchange of fire forced the kidnappers to make a critical decision. “Overwhelmed by the superior response of the NSCDC operatives, the suspects abandoned the kidnapped children and fled into the forest with injuries, thereby thwarting the criminal mission,” the statement said .
The two rescued men, Abubakar Saleh and Muhammad Inuwa Dille, were safely reunited with their family shortly after the operation concluded. Their father, the injured shepherd Alhaji Saleh, was given immediate medical assistance for his wounds . The success of this swift intervention has brought a wave of relief to the agrarian and pastoralist communities in the Kiru LGA, who often live in fear of such attacks due to the area’s proximity to the expansive and porous Dansoshiya Forest, a notorious hideout for criminal networks operating across Kano and neighbouring states.
The NSCDC presence in the area is not accidental. The Command disclosed that its personnel were specifically deployed to the Bakin Komau axis to provide security coverage for an ongoing dam construction project. They are also tasked with safeguarding grazing reserves and farming communities against the rising tide of criminal activities, which includes not only kidnapping and cattle rustling but also armed robbery and armed banditry .
The Kano State Command of the NSCDC, under the leadership of Commandant Mohammed Hassan Agalama, has since reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the protection of lives, property, and critical national assets. Commandant Agalama also used the opportunity to appeal to members of the public, urging them to continue providing credible and timely information to security agencies to facilitate prompt responses to emerging security threats .
This successful operation comes amid a broader context of heightened security challenges in Kano State. While this particular rescue was carried out by the NSCDC, the region has been a focus for all security agencies. In a related development in December 2025, the Kano State Police Command arrested five suspected kidnappers and cattle rustlers in Kiru and Tsanyawa LGAs following separate intelligence-led operations . These recurring incidents highlight the persistent threat of organised rural crime in the state, where the convergence of arid grazing routes, dense forests, and cross-border movement provides cover for well-armed criminal gangs.
The June 4 rescue at Bakin Komau serves as a testament to the effectiveness of proactive security deployments around key national assets like the dam construction site. It also demonstrates the critical value of local intelligence, as the distress call was what enabled the swift military-style response. For the family of Alhaji Saleh, the nightmare of having a father beaten and two sons dragged into the bush ended not with a ransom payment, but with the decisive action of the security forces. As the investigation continues to track down the fleeing suspects, the people of Kiru LGA now watch their forest edge with a mix of lingering fear and renewed hope that the security forces can, and will, respond when they are in need.
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