The Nigerian Army has announced the killing of notorious bandit leader Gwaska Dankarami and over 100 of his suspected fighters in a major joint military operation in the northwest region of the country.
Dankarami, considered a high-value target, reportedly served as the second-in-command to a prominent Islamic State-linked leader. He had been operating from the Munumu Forest, where several other criminal hideouts were also destroyed in the coordinated offensive carried out on Friday.
His death follows a brutal attack earlier in the week in Maigora village, Katsina State, where bandits killed four people and kidnapped 43 others. Security forces were subsequently deployed in pursuit of the attackers.
However, questions remain about the finality of Dankarami’s demise, as a similar claim was made by the Nigerian Air Force in 2022.
Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Mua’zu, described the operation as a “significant milestone” in the ongoing fight against banditry. Two machine guns and several locally made shotguns were recovered and destroyed during the raid.
In a separate intelligence-led operation on Thursday, six other bandits, including their commander, were killed.
Several more escaped with bullet wounds, and seven motorcycles were recovered.
