Soldiers kill bandit leader in Kaduna

Kachalla Gudau, a dreaded bandit who commanded a large number of foot soldiers carrying out kidnappings and killings in Chikun, Kachia and Kajuru Local Government Areas, was among the bandits killed by troops of the Nigerian Army on Sunday, at Kankomi in Kaduna State.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said on Wednesday that diligent exploitation of human intelligence networks corroborated by other pieces of available intelligence, confirmed that Gudau was indeed one of those felled by the bullets of the courageous soldiers as they repelled an attack led by the notorious bandit himself, ending his ignoble reign of brutality and evil.

He said the remains of the notorious bandit — who was said to have links with other notorious kingpins across the North-West and North-Central states — were retrieved in the Kankomi forest where he bled to death.

Aruwan added that credible sources reported that after his remains were retrieved, a large number of bandits under his command buried him in a location said to be around Kaku forest situated in Kaso general area of the Chikun LGA of the state.

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According to him, the identity of another of the neutralised bandits, whose remains were found by the troops, had been confirmed as ‘Rigimamme’ one of Gudau’s trusted criminal aides.

The commissioner said, “Gudau played leading roles in the joint kidnappings of students and expatriates in Kajuru, Chikun and Kachia councils, aside the murders of kidnapped citizens and victims who resisted abduction.

“Added to these nefarious activities, Gudau was engaged in coordinated attacks on herder settlements, disposing them of livestock, which made him the illegal possessor of large herds of cattle. These he regularly traded for amounts running into millions of naira. He also made deals for illicit drugs and acquisition of sophisticated arms and ammunition.

“The high point of his cattle rustling spree came in the first and second quarters of 2022, where in Kajuru LGA alone, Gudau and his partners rustled 1,600 and 3,332 cattle respectively, a total of 4,932 cows stolen in the first six months of 2022.

“With the ongoing aggressive kinetic operations, Gudau’s cattle rustling — in Kajuru LGA particularly — began to wane, as 132 cattle were rustled in the third quarter of 2022 (the period spanning July, August and September).

“The heat of the kinetic operations which denied his bandits freedom of action may have prompted the attack on the military base in Kankomi, where he met his waterloo.

“The resolve of Governor Nasir El-Rufai to pursue the containment of terrorism, and all forms of crime threatening the security and safety of citizens, remains unshakeable. The government of Kaduna State under his watch will continue to support security forces on all fronts.

“The inglorious end of Kachalla Gudau is a welcome development and a clear statement that those who pose a threat to security and safety will certainly have a date with history, and will be made to face justice or their bitter end, no matter how distant it might seem.”