A notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Bello, has reportedly been killed in a gun battle between rival armed groups in a forest in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Naija News reports that a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, said the clash occurred Tuesday evening.
Local sources who spoke with Makama said Bello was among those killed, though the details of his death remained sketchy.
The publication said Bello had terrorised farming communities in the area through kidnappings and forced labour.
According to local sources, he specialised in abducting residents from their farms and forcing them to work on his own farm before releasing them.
Makama said security agencies were yet to independently confirm the killing.
The publication noted that the incident highlighted the persistent rivalry among armed groups in parts of Katsina, where disputes over territory and resources often result in deadly clashes.
When contacted by TheCable on Wednesday, the Katsina State Police Command spokesperson, Abubakar Sadiq-Aliyu, said he was not aware of the incident.
“I am not aware of the incident; I will make an enquiry and call you back,” he said.
Three hours later, he said he was still trying to identify the exact location of the clash so as to contact the Divisional Police Officer.
“I’m trying to find out, but I cannot pinpoint where. Can you give me the location of where they are so that I can contact the DPO? If I can get the exact location where the incident happened, I can contact the DPO. Let me find out,” he said.
