Troops of the 12 Brigade Nigerian Army, operating under Operation ACCORD III in collaboration with Other Hybrid Forces (OHF), have eliminated a notorious bandit leader, Babangida Kachala, in Kogi State.
The Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations for the 12 Brigade, Lieutenant Hassan Abdullahi, confirmed the development in a statement released on Saturday.
According to Abdullahi, the operation took place on September 11, 2025, after troops received credible intelligence on the movement of bandits around Ofere Forest and Ayetoro Gbede. The troops initially set up an ambush at a suspected crossing route but later encountered the criminals who had laid an ambush of their own along the soldiers’ withdrawal path.
A fierce gun battle ensued, during which the troops overpowered the bandits, killing one of them. A sweep of the area led to the recovery of a fully loaded magazine, 31 mobile phones, a blood pressure machine, packs of Tramadol, fetish charms, and ₦16,000 in cash. Bloodstains at the scene indicated that several bandits escaped with gunshot wounds.
Follow-up intelligence later confirmed that Babangida Kachala, second-in-command to bandit kingpin Kachala Shuaibu, was among those injured and subsequently died from his wounds. His group is notorious for terrorising the Masalaci Boka and Ofere Forest axis of the state.
Abdullahi added that troops of the 12 Brigade remain on high alert, sustaining aggressive patrols and ambush operations to dismantle criminal networks across Kogi State.
The Army reassured residents of its commitment to restoring lasting peace and urged citizens to continue providing reliable information to aid security operations.
Leave a Reply