ONE of the notorious bandits terrorising northern parts of Nigeria, Ali Alheri, also known as Kachalla Kawaje, has been killed by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
The bandits warlord, who masterminded the kidnapping of female students of Federal University Gusau (FUGUS), Zamfara state, and some construction workers earlier this year, was killed alongside his kingpins by the troops of the NAF air strike on December 11.
A source in the Joint task force Operation Hadarin Daji (OPHD) told Smarts News, a local media platform, on Monday, December 11, that Kachalla Kawaje was killed in Niger state during the air strike.
The ICIR reported how over 25 students, mostly female, were abducted from the Federal University, Gusau, on September 22.
A few days later, the abductors returned and whisked away two more students of the institution in October.
Sources within the school told The ICIR that the terrorists had earlier threatened to kidnap more than 100 people from the institution.
“They vowed that they would abduct 100, kill 30, and the government would pay ransoms for 70. Now they have started their mission and went with 24. They are still coming back to abduct the remaining 76 if care is not taken,” a school student, Mubarak (surname withheld), told The ICIR.
Although the Nigerian Army has since then been rescuing some of the affected students from the bandits, the attacks in other parts of the state have continued, resulting in severe casualties.
Also, according to the source who spoke with Smart News, the NAF air strike had on December 6 hit the camps of Ali Kachalla and Dogo Gide during which several notorious bandits Kingpins were killed.
Some of the kingpins killed by NAF were Dogo Gide’s younger brother and IED producer trained by Ansaru Machika, a top commander in Gide’s group, Haro, and a kidnap and assault specialist, Dan Muhammadu.
The terrorists, alongside several others, were reportedly killed while on an attack mission in Niger state.
The neutralised bandits were known to be hibernating in Kamuku National Park in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna state; Kuyambana Game Reserve in Maru Local government area of Zamfara state and Kainji lake National Park in Mashegu, Magama and Borgu Local Government areas of Niger state.
Over the years, both Niger and Zamafara states have battled incessant attacks from bandits and other terrorist groups.
The terrorists often target communities, raiding villages and abducting people for ransom.
These activities have led to loss of several lives and property, displacing numerous families and causing widespread fear and instability in the state.
Zamfara had the second-highest number of deaths caused by non-state actors in the first quarter of 2022, with 327 cases.
On October 5, 2023, The ICIR reported how no fewer than 1,552 individuals were killed in violent attacks in Niger state between January 2022 and June 2023.
Within the same period, about 1,044 others were kidnapped.
This implies that an average of three people were killed daily from violent attacks in 2022, given that the year had 365 days divided by 1,176, averaging 3.2.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M