Nigerian bandit kingpin Gwaska Dankarami and 100 followers killed

A notorious bandit kingpin and 100 of his suspected followers have been killed in a joint military operation in north-west Nigeria, authorities say.

Gwaska Dankarami was said to have been a high-value target who reportedly served as second-in-command to an Islamic State-linked leader.

The alleged gang leader had been hiding in the Munumu Forest, with authorities reporting that several other criminal hideouts were also destroyed across the state on Friday.

His apparent death comes after bandits kidnapped 43 villagers and killed four others in a deadly attack on a village called Maigora in the northern Katsina State earlier this week.

The police had said that it deployed security forces in pursuit of the kidnappers.

However, this is not the first time Dankarami’s death has been reported.

In 2022, the Nigerian Airforce claimed to have killed him in a similar operation.

The Katsina State commissioner for internal security and home affairs, Nasir Mua’zu, said the killing was a significant milestone in the fight against banditry in the state.

“It is expedient to state that this successful mission has significantly disrupted the criminal networks that have long terrorised communities across Faskari, Kankara, Bakori, Malumfashi, and Kafur,” Mua’zu added.

Security forces said they had also recovered and destroyed two machine guns and locally fabricated shotguns.

In a separate operation on Thursday, security forces killed six bandits, including their commander, while several other bandits escaped with bullet wounds.

Seven motorcycles were also intercepted and recovered during the intelligence-led operation.

Katsina, the home state of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, has witnessed sporadic attacks by bandits and kidnappers that have claimed many lives.

The state governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has expressed the government’s determination to eliminate criminals and ensure every forest is thoroughly monitored to protect residents.

The authorities said that the operations are part of a broader effort to restore stability in the state and the north-west region of Nigeria, which has witnessed repeated banditry attacks.