Seven travellers, including the driver of a Volkswagen Golf 3, have been rescued after suspected bandits ambushed their vehicle along the Kankara-Dutsinma road in Katsina State.

The victims were rescued after police operatives engaged the suspected kidnappers in a gun battle, forcing the attackers to abandon their captives and flee into the surrounding area.

The incident occurred on September 21 near Unguwar Kanawa-Dantudu village in Kankara Local Government Area, according to a statement issued Friday by the Katsina State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu.

Aliyu said the Kankara Divisional Police Command received a distress call that armed bandits had blocked the highway and intercepted the vehicle carrying passengers travelling to Dutsinma.

Following the alert, the Divisional Police Officer, Kankara, led operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit to the scene and launched a tactical operation against the attackers.

The police team traced the suspects and engaged them in a fierce exchange of gunfire, forcing the bandits to abandon the operation and escape.

All seven occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, were subsequently rescued unharmed.

The victims were taken to a nearby hospital for medical checks and were later certified stable and discharged.

Police authorities said the rescued travellers had since been reunited with their families, while operations were continuing to track down the fleeing suspects.

The Commissioner of Police in Katsina State, CP Ali Umar Fage, commended the officers involved for their prompt response and gallantry.

Fage also urged residents to provide the police with timely and credible information, assuring that the command would continue to intensify efforts to protect residents and counter criminal activities across the state.