How Niger Rep-born bandit terrorising Nigerians fell into military ambush – Sources

More facts have emerged on the killing of notorious bandit kingpin, Halilu Sububu alias Buzu, who terrorised residents of Zamfara and neighbouring states before he was sent to his grave. Daily Trust had reported how Buzu and his fighters were shot dead in a gun battle with troops of Operation Hadarin Daji, on Thursday. According […]

More facts have emerged on the killing of notorious bandit kingpin, Halilu Sububu alias Buzu, who terrorised residents of Zamfara and neighbouring states before he was sent to his grave.

Daily Trust had reported how Buzu and his fighters were shot dead in a gun battle with troops of Operation Hadarin Daji, on Thursday.

According to multiple sources, Buzu and his fighters were killed in an ambush at Kwaren-Kirya, a village situated along Mayanchi-Anka road in Zamfara State.

A source in Mayanchi village confirmed that several bandits were killed by the troops during the encounter along Mayanchi-Mafara road.

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“We learnt that the bandits were about to cross a stream when the troops, who laid ambush, descended on them and killed Sububu and his foot soldiers.

“We learnt that only three motorbikes of the bandits escaped the ambush during the encounter. The troops have recovered the weapons and motorbikes of the bandits.

“As I am talking to you, our people are jubilating in Mayanchi and the neighboring villages. We are more than happy today. We sincerely commend the Nigerian troops and we hope they will sustain the tempo until they capture or kill Turji and the rest of the bandits. We are tired of this banditry.”

Who was Buzu?

Buzu, who was from Niger Republic, resided in a forest in Zamfara, and often escaped to his country after operating in Nigeria.

He was said to have owned a thriving illegal gold mining site in Bagega and other communities around Sumke forest in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara.

He had a camp on the western side of Bagega and controlled communities and all mining sites in the area.

He was declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters in May.

He had been terrorizing several communities in Zamfara such as Maradun, Faru, Kaura Namoda, Dubuwa, Gidan Gogi and Bakura, among other communities.

Aminu Shehu, another resident, urged the Nigerian troops to double their efforts in the ongoing fight against banditry in North West.

He said, “We have confidence in the Nigerian Army and if the necessary support is given to them, they will surely crush all the bandits in the region within no time.

“The troops have now sent a signal to Turji and other bandits’ leaders in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger and Kaduna states. I hope the federal government will continue to support the troop in the ongoing fight against banditry in the affected states.”

How we got him – Military

Meanwhile, the military has released a statement on how Buhu met his waterloo.

According to a statement signed by Group Captain Kabiru Ali, Deputy Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force, the operation was part of an ongoing effort by NAF and ground forces to exploit intelligence and secure the area following contact with hostile elements.

“NAF Special Forces of Operation HADARIN DAJI in company of other ground troops initiated a follow-up exploitation mission after troops encountered terrorists in the vicinity of Mayanchi. During the mission, it was confirmed that 38 terrorists had been neutralized, with 4 bodies retrieved for verification.”

“In addition to the elimination of the terrorists, a significant cache of weapons was recovered, including 2 Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) tubes, 1 RPG bomb, 3 PKT machine guns, 5 AK-47 rifles, 29 magazines, and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition of varying calibers.

“This operation underscores the effectiveness and professionalism of the NAF Special Forces in leading critical missions in conjunction with other services aimed at neutralizing threats and maintaining national security,” the statement read.