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Bandit kingpin Gwaska has been killed in Katsina alongside 100 others in military operations against criminals in the North-Western state.
The State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Nasir Mua’zu disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
He said the operation is a crucial component of a broader strategy by security stakeholders to reclaim stability in the Katsina State and Northwest Region.
During the operation, the forces recovered and subsequently destroyed two machine guns, locally fabricated shotguns, and other weapons to prevent their reuse by criminal elements.
He explained that the Nigerian Army’s 17th Brigade and 213 Forward Operating Base (FOB) of the Air Component of the Nigerian Air Force on April 10, 2025, executed a coordinated strike on bandit strongholds in Mununu Bakai, Zango, Jeka Arera, Malali, and Ruwan Godiya areas spanning Kankara and Faskari LGAs.
“The precision operation, based on actionable intelligence, eliminated a high-value target identified as Gwaska, who served as second-in-command to an ISWAP-linked leader,” he stated.
“Intelligence reports confirm that Gwaska had recently relocated from Danmusa Local Government to Munumu Forest.
“It is expedient to state that this successful mission has significantly disrupted the criminal networks that have long terrorized communities across Faskari, Kankara, Bakori, Malumfashi, and Kafur LGAs,” he added.
Similarly, security forces conducted another successful operation in the early hours of April 10, 2025, targeting bandit routes at Dutsen Wori by Dandume-Kandamba Road, located at the outskirts of Dandume town at the border with Faskari and Sabuwa Local Government Areas.
The operation, executed at about 3:45 am, resulted in the elimination of six bandits, including their commander, while several other bandits escaped with various degrees of bullet wounds.
The forces were said to have successfully intercepted and recovered seven motorcycles, while four others escaped into the forest. The bandits were tracked from their base at Maigora/Doroyi camp in Faskari Local Government Area.
