Sokoto border raid: Troops neutralize bandits’ kingpins, overrun enclaves

From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto

In a major breakthrough against rural banditry, a joint military operation has neutralized several high-profile bandits’ kingpins and dismantled key enclaves along the porous border between Sokoto and Zamfara states.
The offensive targeted the high-ground strongholds around Dangulbi and Kurawa villages in the Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto State—a strategic terrain long used by criminal syndicates to launch attacks on nearby communities.
According to a credible security source who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the operation was executed by the 8 Division of the Nigerian Army, working alongside sister security agencies and local vigilantes intimately familiar with the rugged landscape.
Troops advanced on the bandits’ camps, triggering a fierce gun battle.
The military successfully overran the positions, neutralizing multiple insurgents, including top kingpins who had been coordinating terror campaigns across the border communities.
It was gathered that dozens of other criminals escaped deeper into the sprawling forest tracks leading into neighboring states, many carrying severe gunshot wounds.
Following the encounter, security forces recovered an arsenal of weapons and numerous operational motorcycles used by the network for rapid deployment across the border.
Mop-up operations are currently underway in the general area to flush out fleeing remnants of the group.
The decisive tactical victory has drawn widespread praise from local leaders and state officials.
Responding to the development, retired Colonel Ahmad Usman, the Special Adviser on Security Matters to Sokoto State Governor Ahmad Aliyu, commended the military’s professionalism, swift response, and bravery.
Also, some community stakeholders expressed renewed hope that sustaining this aggressive operational tempo will permanently restore peace and stability to Sokoto’s vulnerable border regions.