The Kaduna State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a 34-year-old suspected bandit leader, Mati Bagio, after more than a decade of evading capture by security forces.
According to a statement released by the command’s spokesman, DSP Mansir Hassan, Bagio, who hails from Unguwan Galadima in Shika District, Giwa Local Government Area had been on the police wanted list for 11 years due to his alleged role in leading a criminal syndicate that carried out coordinated attacks across parts of Kaduna and Katsina States.
“On 18th July, 2025, at about 0530 hours, acting on credible intelligence, a team of detectives led by the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, CSP Sani Zuntu, successfully tracked and arrested a notorious gang leader popularly known as Mati Bagio, a 34-year-old male of Unguwan Galadima in Shika District, Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State,” the statement read.
Bagio is alleged to have masterminded and participated in several deadly assaults in Giwa, Hunkuyi, Faskari, Dandume, and Funtua Local Government Areas of both Kaduna and Katsina.
His criminal operations reportedly spanned over a decade, according to the police.
“The suspect is a notorious bandit leader who terrorised Kaduna and Katsina states along Giwa, Hunkuyi, Faskari, Dandume, and Funtua Local Government Areas. He had been on the run for the past 11 years. He was just apprehended at his residence, where a significant cache of arms and ammunition was recovered,” the police said.
During the raid, law enforcement officers recovered a significant collection of weapons and other items suspected to have been used in criminal activities. The list includes:
One AK-47 rifle
One fabricated AK-47 rifle
One pump-action gun
Two English pistols
Two AK-47 magazines
Two LAR rifle magazines
Four fabricated AK-47 butts
Four live AK-47 ammunition rounds
Ten pump-action cartridges
Eighty-seven pistol ammunition rounds
One machete
Two torchlights
One unjamming rod
Additionally, the team confiscated a stolen Toyota Prado SUV and two motorcycles believed to have been used during operations by the gang.
The arrest of Bagio is regarded by the police as a major success in the ongoing effort to dismantle organized criminal networks across the northwest region.
