Since the commencement of the current offensive against bandits in the North West, several deadly bandits leaders operating in the region have been neutralized.
These bandits with their troops have caused mayhem killing thousands of innocent people and burning of communities.
Their mode of operations include abduction for ransom, rape, arson and other forms of terrorism.
However, since 2018, the number of attacks has been steadily escalating, surging from 124 incidents in 2018 to 1,031 incidents in 2022. The ACLED estimate reveals a staggering 13,485 deaths attributed to banditry between 2010 and May 19, 2023. Gunmen kidnapped at least 3,620 people across Nigeria between July 2022 and June 2023 with a ransom demand totalling over N5bn ($6.5m), according to a new report by the research firm, SBM Intelligence. Of the sum demanded as ransom, only N302m ($395,000) was paid to the kidnappers, the report added, quoting ransom payments disclosed by victims and family members.
In May, the Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru, reported that improved coordination among service chiefs and other agencies had resulted in the killing of over 9,300 bandits and insurgents, with 7,000 others arrested in the past year. Recently, a major military operation led to the killing of Kachalla Halilu Sububu, a notorious bandit leader and arms supplier. Sububu controlled a large mining site in Dan-Kamfani, Anka Local Government Area, and owned thousands of cattle in the Sububu Forest, a key location for bandit activities.
Several high-profile bandits have been eliminated in military operations, with many others still on the Army’s wanted list. Some of the prominent bandit leaders killed include:
Halilu Sububu
Buhari Alhaji Halidu, also known as “Buharin Yadi,” who terrorized areas across Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, and Zamfara states.
Dangote
A kingpin killed in a gunfight in Katsina State.
Boderi Isyaku
Responsible for the 2021 kidnapping of 39 students and the attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna.
Kachalla Dan Chaki
Dogo Gudali
Dogo Rabe, killed in an Air Force strike in Zamfara State.
Alhaji Auta and Kachalla Ruga
killed during a raid on their enclaves in Gusami Forest and Tsamre village, Zamfara State.
Rufai Maikaji
He commanded over 100 fighters in the region.
Ya’u, killed in an ambush at Burra, Ningi.
Alhaji Karki
who returned to banditry after initially repenting, was killed while trying to overrun a military unit in Niger State.
Yellow
A bandit leader with multiple camps in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina, was eliminated in airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force.
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