NIGERIA – A security operation in Shawu forest left 21 Northern Nigeria gang members killed in Katsina State on Friday as security forces conducted a raid targeting the gang’s hideouts.

Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasiru Muazu, said a raid was conducted as part of the “Forest Sanity III” Operation in the Faskari area of the state.

Muazu said 21 gang members were neutralized and several others fled with injuries. Security forces also seized 40 motorcycles and a significant amount of ammunition during the raid.

Nigeria has been grappling with gangs and terror groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP (the West African branch of Daesh), especially in the north, Muazu noted.

Despite the death penalty for kidnapping, ransom abductions remain widespread in Nigeria. Armed groups often target rural villages, schools and travelers in the north to demand ransom.