Gunmen in hijab abduct 2  as soldiers eliminate notorious Kogi bandit leader

Armed men disguised in hijab abducted two people in Niger State, even as troops of the Nigerian Army announced the killing of a notorious bandit leader and several of his fighters in neighbouring Kogi State.

The abduction took place late Friday in Melehe community, Kontagora Local Government Area of Niger State, when the attackers invaded the home of a junior secondary school principal.

Residents said that the gunmen initially sat at the entrance of the compound, posing as ordinary women.“By the time they removed their hijabs around 11 p.m., they forced their way into the house and abducted the principal and a Fulani woman identified as Aminu Runtoje,” a resident recounted, noting that the community only realised what was happening after the victims were taken.

When contacted on Sunday, the Niger State Police Command spokesman, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, said the command was aware of the report but would confirm details before issuing a formal response.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army confirmed that its troops neutralised a notorious bandit commander, Kachalla Balla, along with five members of his gang in Kogi State.

Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations for 12 Brigade, Lt. Hassan Abdullahi, disclosed the breakthrough in a statement on Sunday.

“On September 5, during a fierce gun battle at a bandits’ hideout ahead of Tunga, intelligence confirmed that Kachalla Balla, a notorious bandit commander, and five others were neutralised,” the statement said.

The operation, launched on September 1 under the codename Egwua Tite II, has been targeting criminal hideouts across Kogi and its environs.

According to the Army, troops also ambushed a logistics courier at Agbede–Adankoo Bridge, seizing a motorcycle, mobile phones, and an AK-47 magazine loaded with 20 rounds. Clearance raids between September 2 and 3 in Ankomi, Aleke, Ungwan Soni, and Ungwan Nyaba communities led to the rescue of one man, Pabo Suleiman, and his two children, as well as the recovery of five locally made dane guns.

The statement added that Brig. Gen. Kasim Sidi, Commander of 12 Brigade and Force Commander of Operation Accord III, personally led further raids on bandits’ enclaves, destroying their settlements and boosting troop morale.

The Army reaffirmed its resolve to sustain pressure on criminal groups and restore peace across Kogi and neighbouring states.

(PUNCH)