Bello Turji, a notorious bandit leader, has recently called for a negotiated surrender following the decapitation of many of his allies, including at least 76 bandit commanders and kidnapping ring leaders. This alarming development has left bandit leaders and their associates on the defensive.
The call for surrender comes in the wake of intensified actions taken since the restructuring of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Department of State Services (DSS). Following President Bola Tinubu’s appointments of Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi and Mr. Mohammed Mohammed as Directors-General of the DSS and NIA, respectively, there has been a marked increase in operations against banditry.
Reports indicate that the arrests and eliminations of key commanders, alongside significant seizures of arms and the disruption of communication networks, have thrown bandit operations in the North West and North Central regions into chaos. Reliable sources, speaking off the record, noted that the new leadership has effectively optimized the intelligence resources of the DSS, significantly turning the tide against bandits.
One source elaborated on the strategies implemented by Mr. Ajayi, who previously served as the most senior director of the DSS and was a state director in Kogi State. His approach has reportedly included psychological operations aimed at destabilizing bandit morale, which has led to the neutralization of several notorious bandit leaders, such as Kachalla Lawali Dodo, Kachalla All Dan Oga, Kachalla Black, and Kachalla Sani Kwalba.
In a recent series of coordinated operations in Kaduna State, a notorious arms supplier to bandits, known as Mallam Rabo Abdulkadir, was apprehended with an extensive arsenal that included 3 AK-47 rifles, 1 AR Galil rifle, 1,621 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition, 222 rounds of 5.56 x 45mm, and 138 rounds of 7.62 x 51mm, among other weaponry.
In the North Central Zone, particularly in Kogi State, where Mr. Ajayi previously served, operations led to the dismantling of camps belonging to major terrorist kingpins, including Kachalla Bala and Kachalla Shuaibu, who have terrorized regions including Kogi, Kaduna, Niger, Kwara, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Reports indicate that three foot soldiers of Kachalla Bala were neutralized during these raids, with eleven others captured along with the group’s primary logistics supplier, identified as Baba Gurgu. Additionally, various kidnap kingpins and gunrunners have been arrested across the FCT, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau States