A notorious bandit leader and terrorist Kachalla Halilu Buzu, also known as Sububu, has been killed in a major operation by the Nigerian Army. The military operation, launched on Thursday in Zamfara State, led to the death of Sububu, a Niger Republic-born gunman, along with dozens of his comrades.
According to reports, Sububu, who had long been a terror to communities across Zamfara and beyond, was involved in an intense battle with Nigerian forces when he was neutralized.
Hours before his death, Sububu made a video calling on other notorious bandit leaders, including Bello Turji, Dankarami, and Dogo Gide, to redirect their attacks toward the military rather than poor civilians. This message, however, was followed by swift military action that brought an end to his reign of terror.
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Counterinsurgency expert ZagaZola Makama revealed Sububu’s deep influence in the criminal underworld in a post on X, describing him as the boss of Bello Turji, another high-profile bandit leader. “He is the boss of Bello Turji.
Now he has been suyanized by the same military in less than 24 hours,” Makama posted, using the slang “suyanized” to refer to Sububu’s elimination by Nigerian forces.
During the operation, the troops reportedly seized a large cache of weapons and motorcycles, and several bandit hideouts were destroyed.
This development comes just hours after a separate operation in Niger State, where operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) neutralized scores of bandits in Bassa-Kukoki village, Shiroro Local Government Area.
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According to security sources, airstrikes were carried out by the NAF’s Super Tucano jets following intelligence provided by the DSS. The air raid was targeted at a planned ambush by the bandits, leading to the elimination of at least 28 terrorists.
A top security official revealed that, although three civilians were killed by fleeing terrorists during the operation in Niger State, no security personnel were lost. The operation, part of “Operation Whirl Punch,” marked a significant success in the ongoing battle against insurgency in Nigeria.
Group Captain Kabiru Ali, Deputy Director of Public Relations and Information at NAF, confirmed that air assets had observed over 100 terrorists engaged in a firefight with friendly forces before the military’s intervention, which resulted in the bandits’ defeat.
These coordinated efforts by the Nigerian military and security agencies reflect the intensified crackdown on criminal elements across the country, further signaling the government’s determination to restore peace in affected regions.