A coordinated military operation has resulted in the killing of a notorious bandit commander identified as Gwaska, along with more than 100 of his fighters.
Authorities describe the raid as a significant breakthrough in the fight against banditry in Katsina State.
The operation carried out on April 10, was disclosed via Twitter by Northern-based security analyst Zagazola Makama.
According to his post, troops launched a series of targeted strikes across multiple locations within the Kankara and Faskari Local Government Areas.
Ground forces from the Nigerian Army’s 17th Brigade and the 213 Forward Operating Base, with aerial support from the Nigerian Air Force, raided criminal enclaves in Mununu Bakai, Zango, Jeka Arera, Malali, and Ruwan Godiya.
Confirming the development in a statement issued Friday, Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr Nasir Mua’zu, described the late bandit leader as a high-profile operative who served as second-in-command to an ISWAP-linked terror leader.
“Gwaska had relocated from Danmusa to the Mununu forest shortly before the operation, likely to consolidate his forces,” Mua’zu stated.
He added that troops recovered and destroyed a cache of weapons during the mission, including machine guns and locally manufactured firearms, to prevent their reuse.
Dr Mua’zu further noted that the assault had dealt a heavy blow to armed groups that had long plagued communities in Faskari, Kankara, Bakori, Malumfashi, and Kafur, disrupting their coordination and movement across the region.