A violent rivalry clash between rival bandit leaders, have claimed the lives of, at least, five prominent bandit leaders and 48 of their fighters were killed by the Ado Allero group, in a confrontation that took place in Mada village in Gusau, Yan Waren Daji, and Munhaye in the Tsafe local government area on Sunday.
A counterinsurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama reports that the conflicts began in the early hours of Sunday.
They were initiated by the Dogo Bali and Kachallah Mai Yankuzu groups, leading to a significant number of casualties, including the leader Dogo Bali who orchestrated the initial attack.
Intelligence sources informed Makama that Dogo Bali’s death prompted retaliatory strikes from other rival factions.
These groups advanced into the forest area from Hayin Alhaji to Munhaye within the Tsafe LGA, seeking vengeance for Bali’s demise.
In response, Kachalla Mai Yankuzu reached out to Ado Allero, who quickly amassed hundreds of fighters, preparing them for the confrontation.
However, upon their arrival at the Yan Ware camp in Tsafe, they were caught in a deadly ambush laid by Allero’s forces.
The ensuing gunbattle lasted several hours, during which Ado Allero’s group managed to kill numerous fighters, including four prominent bandit leaders: Dan Makaranta, Malam Gainaga, Mallam Tukur, and Malam Jaddi. Injured fighters were taken to a clinic in Mada village for treatment.
Allero’s forces didn’t stop there; they also attacked the camp of Alhaji Dan Nigeria, another notorious bandit leader, in Yan Ware. Dan Nigeria and his fighters abandoned the site, leaving behind over 150 AK47 rifles, which were then seized by Allero’s group.
On the evening of Sunday, Feb 25, various bandit factions converged on the camp in Munhaye village in Tsafe, where Ado Allero and his men were based.
However, the bandit leader had already evacuated the area.
Around 11 pm, several other bandit leaders from the western part of Zamfara, including Yellow Jambros from Dansadau, Damina, Nagala, and Kawaji, arrived in Tsafe for a major confrontation with Ado Allero, who was, however, nowhere to be found.
It was also noted that Dogo Gide did not respond to the call to arms nor sent any representatives.
The situation described above suggests a potential escalation in inter-group conflict among the bandit groups, which the military can use to effectively weaken and dismantle the bandit organizations.
By Zagazola Makama
