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Nigerian bandit conflict

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Nigerian bandit conflict
Part of Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria
Date2011-present[1]
Location
Throughout northwest Nigeria
Status Ongoing
Belligerents

Nigeria Nigeria

Various gangs

  • Hausa militias
  • Fulani militias

Alleged involvement

Commanders and leaders
Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari
Nigeria Farouk Yahaya
Nigeria Hussein Ahmed †[2]		 Kachalla Halilu[3]
Dogo Gide[4]
Kachalla Turji[5]
Sani Mochoko
Damina
Sani Buta
Danmakaranta
Ali Kachalla[6]
Mani Na Saleh[7]
Adamu Aliero Yankuzo[8]
Abubakar Ali (POW)[9]
Jack Bros Yellow (POW)[10]
Goma Sama’ila (POW)[11]
Dan Karami (WIA)
Auwalun Daudawa †[12]
Buharin Daji †[13]
Other local commanders
Strength
8 divisions[14] 30,000+ Zamfara State[15]
Casualties and losses
Unknown
1 Alpha Jet[16]		 Unknown
At least 12,000 killed[17]
247,000 people displaced[18]

The Bandit conflict in northwest Nigeria is an ongoing conflict between the country's government and various gangs and ethnic militias. Starting in 2011, the insecurity left from the conflict between the Fulani and Hausa ethnic groups quickly allowed other criminal and jihadist elements to form in the region.

Origins

The origins of the bandit conflict can be traced back to herder-farmer conflicts that plague Nigeria. Environmental decline and the scarcity of water and arable land led to communities competing viciously for those limited resources. Unemployment, large-scale poverty and weak local government have allowed for a steady stream of desperate people turning to criminal activity to earn a living. Large forested areas allowed for concealment and the formation of camps deep in the forest. Police and military personnel are unable to reach these forested areas.[19]

Escalation

Continued insecurity, desertification, and possible jihadist influence have allowed for a rise in attacks to take place. Large-scale weapon smuggling has allowed criminal gangs access to heavy weapons, increasing the deadliness of attacks. Underequipped local and federal forces coupled with the harsh terrain make offensive actions into the forest dangerous and susceptible to ambushes and attacks. Continued government inability to effectively deal with the problem has allowed the insecurity to spread and grow in ferocity.[20]

Kidnapping

Bandits in Nigeria engage in multiple ways to earn money. Bandits ride into towns and villages on motorcycles and loot and kidnap anyone they see; anyone resisting will be killed. Kidnapping is a very profitable venture in northwest Nigeria. A cow in Nigeria can fetch 200,000 Nigerian naira while one kidnapping can get millions of naira. Between 2011 and 2020 Nigerians had to pay at least 18 million to free family members and friends.[21][22]

Arms trade

Illegal arms are very prevalent in north-west Nigeria, bandit gangs control gold mines, the gold from which they then trade-in for arms from internal and international arms dealers.[23] There are an estimated 60,000 illegal weapons in circulation in northwest Nigeria. The border of northern Nigerian is undefended with only 1,950 personnel to police the whole border, making it easy for smuggling across the border.[24]

Belligerents

In Zamfara state alone there are over 30,000 bandits and 100 camps.[25]

Ali Kachalla

Ali Kachalla is a bandit leader in his early thirties who was born in a small town called Madada near Dansadau. Ali Kachalla controls a bandit group numbering about 200 in the kuyambana forest. Ali Kachalla's main base of operations consists of about a couple of huts along the Goron Dutse river about 25 km south of Dansadau. Ali Kachalla's gang directly controls the villages of Dandalla, Madada, and Gobirawa Kwacha where he launches attacks on Dansadau and other neighboring communities from. Ali Kachalla's gang is allied with Dogo Gide's nomadic gang.

Ali Kachalla's gang has carried out numerous attacks most notably shooting down a Nigerian Air Force alpha Jet on 18 June 2021 and destroying a Mowag Piranha armored personnel carrier in Dansadau on July 23, 2021.[26] Ali Kachalla's gang has suffered defeats, most notably losing 30 men in a battle with an Ansaru cell.[27]

Dogo Gide

Dogo Gide is the leader of a Bandit group near Dansadau. Not much is known about his past, he is known to be in his forties, married, and has children. He is most known for killing bandit leader Buharin Daji by tricking him into a meeting for peace between their two gangs, He then killed Daji and 24 other gang members.[28][29]

Kachalla Halilu Sububu Seno

Kachalla Halilu Sububu Seno is the leader of a Fulani Bandit group. He commands over 1,000 bandits in the Sububu Forest across Zamfara State and has connections to bandit groups across the west African countries of Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic. two years ago Kachalla Halilu Sububu Seno signed a peace treaty with the city of Shinkafi but Kachalla Halilu shifting his activities elsewhere.[30][31]

Kachalla Turji

Kachalla Turji also known as Gudda Turji is the leader of a Bandit group that operates along Sokoto Road, raiding towns, villages, and settlements in the area. On 17 July 2021 Kachalla Turji's main base was raided by security personnel where they arrested his father. Kachalla Turji then attacked the villages of Kurya, Keta, Kware, Badarawa, Marisuwa, and Maberaya killing 42, abducting 150, and burning 338 houses.[32][33][34]

Dan Karami

Dan Karami is the leader of a bandit gang that operates around Safana, Dan Musa, and Batsari Local Government Areas. Dan Karami's group is most known for being one of the groups responsible for kidnapping 300 students from a secondary boarding school. On January 23, 2021, Dan Karami was injured during a clash with a rival group headed by Mani Na Saleh Mai Dan Doki over the control of guns, ammunition, and stolen cattle. The clash took place at Illela village and killed 20 of Dan Karami's bandits and nine civilians.[35][36]

Adamu Aliero Yankuzo

Adamu Aliero Yankuzo better known as Yankuzo is the leader of a bandit group that operates in the forested regions of Katsina and Zamfara states. He controls a bandit group numbering around 2,000 personnel. Yankuzo is 45 years old and was born in Yankuzo village, Yankuzo has at least one son. On June 16, 2020, Yankuzo was declared wanted by the Katsina State Police Command for 5 million Nigerian naira. Yankuzo's gang has carried out a number of attacks, one of his more notable attacks was killing 52 people in Kadisau village in revenge for the arrest of his son on June 9, 2020.[37]

Refugees

At least 247,000 people have been displaced and 120 villages razed in continuing bandit activity in north-west Nigeria.[38][39] At least 77,000 of the displaced have been forced into Niger's Maradi Region where cross border raids and attacks continue. At least 11,320 refugees have been successfully relocated.[40]

Timeline

2020

April

December

2021

February

March

April

June

July

References

  1. ^ "Combating Banditry in Northwest Nigeria". American Security Project. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Army mourns as General killed by bandits is buried in Abuja". Punchng. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Inside a Nigerian Bandit Camp". VOA. 28 February 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Zamfara bandits' leader, Dogo Gide Assures Of Release Of Abducted Kagara Students And Teachers". the Nigerian voice. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Zamfara bandit goes wild over father's arrest, holds 150 hostage". The Nation. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Ali Kachalla: Unveiling The Zamfara Terror Kingpin Who Downed NAF Jet". daily Trust. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Notorious bandits' leader terrorizing Katsina reportedly badly injured in crossfire – Katsina Post". AREWASOUND. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Nigeria's dreaded bandits unleashing untold terror on helpless citizens". PUNCH. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  9. ^ "NIGER: Suspected bandit behind abduction of nine women in Shiroro arrested". NajiaTimes. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Nigerian Army Captures Notorious Bandit Leader, Jack Bros Yellow In Niger State". Sahara Reporters. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Nigerian Military Captures Notorious Bandits' Leader, Goma Sama'ila". Sahara Reporters. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Nigeria kidnap kingpin killed in clash with rival gang". news24. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Zamfara: Dreaded armed bandit 'Buharin Daji' reportedly killed". The Sun. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Troops eliminate 53 bandits including 5 Commanders in Zamfara after clearance Operations". Vanguard. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  15. ^ "30,000 bandits terrorising my state, says Gov Matawalle". The Nation. 3 April 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Nigerian fighter jet shot down by criminals, pilot survives". Yahoo!New. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  17. ^ https://www.facebook.com/Udusok/photos/a.918435681511915/4352033118152137/?type=3&theater
  18. ^ "The Growing Threat of Armed Banditry in North-West Nigeria". StrifeBlog. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Combating Banditry in Northwest Nigeria". American Security Project. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Why insurgent and bandit attacks are intensifying in Nigeria". TRTworld. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  21. ^ "Inside a Nigerian Bandit Camp". VOA. 28 February 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  22. ^ "Katsina: The motorcycle bandits terrorising northern Nigeria". BBC. 5 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  23. ^ "Small Arms Proliferate in Nigeria". 14 North. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  24. ^ https://www.facebook.com/Udusok/photos/a.918435681511915/4352033118152137/?type=3&theater
  25. ^ "30,000 bandits terrorising my state, says Gov Matawalle". The Nation. 3 April 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  26. ^ "Bandits Invade Zamfara Community, Kill 3 Persons, Abduct 7". Channels Television. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  27. ^ "Ali Kachalla: Unveiling The Zamfara Terror Kingpin Who Downed NAF Jet". Daily Trust. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  28. ^ "Dogo Gide: The man who killed Buharin Daji". Daily Trust. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  29. ^ "Dogo Gide: Mutumin Da Ya Hallaka Buharin Daji". dailytrust. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  30. ^ "Inside a Nigerian Bandit Camp". VOA. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  31. ^ "In Rare Access To Enclave: Bandits Speak On Ravaging Insecurity". Daily Trust. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  32. ^ "Zamfara bandit goes wild over father's arrest, holds 150 hostage". The Nation. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  33. ^ "Nigerian Government Has Failed Us, We're Not Afraid Of Death – Zamfara Bandits Commander, Turji". Sahara reporters. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  34. ^ "Bandits Are Terrorists – No Ifs, No Buts". Daily Trust. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  35. ^ "Bandits' leader injured in Katsina clash". The Nation. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  36. ^ "Dankarami: Notorious bandits' leader terrorizing Katsina reportedly badly injured in crossfire". Katsina Post. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  37. ^ "Nigeria's dreaded bandits unleashing untold terror on helpless citizens". PUNCH. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  38. ^ "The Growing Threat of Armed Banditry in North-West Nigeria". StrifeBlog. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  39. ^ https://www.facebook.com/Udusok/photos/a.918435681511915/4352033118152137/?type=3&theater
  40. ^ "Surging violence in Nigeria drives displacement to Niger". UNHCR. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
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