By Augustine Ehikioya
To ensure peace and security in Katsina State, troops of 17 Brigade of the Nigerian Army have increased tempo against terrorists in the State.
They have, in the past weeks, made the State unconducive for terrorists and criminal elements in the State.
Security Watch Africa (SWA) gathered that the recent nefarious activities of terrorists kingpin, Muhammadu Filani in Musawa, Matazu and Kankia Local Government Areas (LGAs) have necessitated the conduct of offensive operations into the enclaves of the terrorists.
“Consequently, on 8 May, 2026, troops of 17 Brigade in conjunction with members of Katsina State Community Watch Corps commenced the second phase of offensive operations at the terrorists enclave in the outskirts of Dikawa Village in Matazu LGA.
“Troops came under fire from the terrorists who were concealed behind rocks, but troops overwhelmed them with superior firepower during the firefight leading to casualties on the terrorists.
“Two terrorists were neutralised, while 2 AK 47 rifles, 15 AK 47 magazines with 4 rounds of 7.62mm special rounds were captured.
“Equally, one iron butt of GPMG, one Ammo Revolver Chamber, 8 PKT links, one fabricated hand grenade, one magazine pouch and 10 motorcycles were recovered.”
During the operations, troops also rescued 32 kidnapped victims from the terrorists enclave.
They included 10 women, 9 men and 13 children, and relatedly, 26 livestock, comprising 14 cows and 12 sheep were also recovered.
“It is heartwarming to note that there was no casualty on own troops. However, one CSK EQ series armoured vehicle that developed overheating was swiftly recovered by the Forward Repair Team.
“All recovered/captured items are in troops custody while efforts are ongoing to handover the rescued victims and rustled livestock to the relevant local authorities.
“Troops exploited further and destroyed all the life supporting structures of the terrorists. The operations is still in progress.”
