Iliyasu Abdullahi Bah
Notorious bandit leader Kachalla Bello Turji allegedly ambushed and killed over 40 members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Zamfara State on Sunday. The attack also claimed the lives of four Department of State Services (DSS) officers and a former bandit, Bashar Maniya, who had become a security informant and was once Turji’s rival.
Sources indicate the assault took place near Ruggar Chida, a village where Turji’s father is said to be the traditional ruler. The CJTF operatives, traveling in two vehicles and on motorcycles, were caught in the ambush in an area that had been under a communications blackout for two weeks due to military operations.
The attack was reportedly well-planned and brutal. Turji was said to have been especially pleased with the death of Maniya, his longtime rival. The two had been locked in a bitter rivalry, each leading their own factions in the forests of Zamfara.
Although Maniya had claimed to have renounced banditry, Turji had previously accused him of being a “fake repentant,” alleging that his associates continued criminal activities.
A disturbing video on social media shows Turji and his fighters celebrating over the bodies of the slain operatives, including Maniya. “This is the commander who led the operation,” Turji is heard saying in the footage.
The Nigerian Air Force assisted in retrieving the bodies, while the wounded were rushed to a hospital for treatment.
A security official, speaking anonymously, called the attack “tragic and preventable,” emphasizing the need for better coordination among security agencies and local communities. “An operation like this should never have been carried out without proper collaboration between the army and air force,” the source added.