By Suleima Umaru
Those who thinks that the death of the no nonsense Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Osun state born former Chief of Staff, who had been a thorn in the flesh of the Bandits Group fighters in Zamfara, described as home of the bandits, Sokoto, Kaduna and Katsina states, would give the group room to step up their attacks in the north western and north central states of Niger may have to do a rethink.
This is because, Olufemi Oluyede, an Army Lt. general, who was said to have been appointed by President Bola Ahmed, to replace deceased CoAS, last October has sustained the tempo of the anti-terrorism war in the region that he was said to have made Bello Turji and other Bandits group gang leaders and their followers in the flash point north western states to panic as they are no longer finding it funny to operate freely.
Until, the new Army Chief, took the bold initiative to cause more pains to the Bandits gang Leaders and their followers operating in Zamfara and other parts of the north western geopolitical region, they were said to have been running for cover as they could no longer stand the superior fire power of the troops. These may have forced the notorious Truji and Bandit gang and other gangs to resort to ambush of soldiers , gorilla war, and Dansadou Gusau road in the Maru Local Government Area of the state planting of explosive devices in the busy Dansadou Gusau Highway to further frustrate the people but that had stopped the troops from patrolling the state to chase out the hoodlums from their forest hideouts.

Many believe that the banditry war may not have dragged on for this long in the north – western states bot not for the black legs in the Army and their civilian collaborators who had been aiding and abetting the criminal elements. This may have informed why the new Army Chief, who is determined to end the banditry in the north western geopolitical region with the support of the Nigerian President appears to have beamed his searchlight on the soldiers to ensure that they conform to the military ethics.
The Army General efforts in putting a close watch on the activities the Bandits Group Fighters who are life more miserable in most of the Communities in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Kaduna including Niger, home state of former Military President, Gen, Ibrahim Babangida, appears to be yielding results.
Bashir Maru, Deputy Chief of Staff to the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, governor, Bello Mohammed, who incidentally had been at dagger-drawn with Bello Matawalle, minister of state Defense, under incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and who incidentally was his predecessor.
Maru, Zamfara state top government official may have shocked Nigerians when he announced on Friday, Dec. 14, 2024, that the Army has arrested an officer, who a security source had been under a close watch, over reports making the rounds that he supplies amunitions and uniforms to the Bandits Group fighters in Zamfara and other North western states.
The Army officer, was said to have been arrested, according to a resident of Gusau, the state Capital following Community driven -intelligence and improved working relationship with the security agencies personnel in the state. Maru, the Deputy Chief of Staff, to the north western state governor who was said to have saluted the courage and patriotism of the individual who had volunteered information to the Army Authorities that was said to have facilitated the arrest of the officer from the Zamfara state Community.
The Army officer was said to have been doing this over the years in connivance with other saboteurs who are believed to be on the run to escape arrest.
In Katsina, another north western where the Bandits Group fighters appear to have intensified their attacks and kidnap operations in the recent time, the Army were said to have also arrested four suspects believed to have been supplying military uniforms to the Bandits group fighters terrorizing Danmusa Local Government Area in the state.

One of the arrested suspects, Aminu Hassan, who hails from Kaduna state, but lives in Dundubus village, going by security reports, has been identified by residents of the Community as a major Financier of the Bandits group in the state. He was said to have been apprehended with two pairs of military uniform concealed in a polyethene bag on transit to the bandits their forest hideout in the area but played into the hand of the police patrol team.
Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, a Superintendent and the Kaduna state police Command spokesperson had confirmed that arrested Hassan, over the years had been aiding the Bandits unleashing terror on Danmusa Town and its environs in the state. The Bandits financiers in Danmusa Local government area of the state was said to have been arrested by police operatives of a patrol team who had initiated a routine check along Yantumaki and Kankara highway in the state.
Notwithstanding the security agencies move to clip the wing of those aiding and abetting the Bandits in the flashpoint states in the north western and north central regions, Gen. Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defense Staff, CDS, who had thrown his weight behind the special team fighting troops in different of the country of the country.
Given the success that had been achieved by the Army in the last one week may have encouraged Edward Buba, an Army Major General, Director of Defense Media Operations, to speak out. The Army Chief had said that its operations in an ongoing effort to combat national threats, the combat soldiers had arrested of 253 suspects and the rescue of 61 kidnapped victims.
The good news is that Lt. Gen. Oloyede, led Army, are really making a head way in the north western states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina and north central states of Benue , Plateau, Niger, and Taraba, to weaken the fighting capability of the Bandits and reduce them to nothing.
The arrest of one Mohammed, popular, Mamman, described as a notorious gun runner by the troops in Plateau state speaks volume.
The combat troops in the last one of their operations in different parts of the country including the south eastern geopolitical region, were said to have recovered 228 assorted weapons and 6,749 ammunition.
The break down, going by a statement released Majo. Gen. Buba, Director of Media, Defense Information clearly shows that the Combat troops had recovered 4GPMGs, G3 rifles 85 AK 47 rifles, 38 fabricated rifles, 36 dane guns, 12 FN rifles, three fabricated revolver pistol, 24 locally made pistols, 16 pump action guns and two single double barrel guns. This is in addition to one berretta pistol, four hand grenades and three Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs and 63 Magazines among other items.
The success that had had been achieved by the fighting troopsKatsina, Zamfara in the north western states of Zamfara, Skoto, Katsina and the north central states of Benue, Plateau, Niger, including the north eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Taraba and the south easter region may have emboldened the Army Major. Gen. to make a declaration that the combat troops will continue to apply tremendous force to ensure that the bandits operating in the north western and the north central regions, including the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram and The Islamic State of West African Province, in the north eastern states of Borno and Yobe are decisively dealt with. The Army Chief had said that the troops have not spared the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and the Eastern Security Network, ESN, fighters, which have their Camp in the south eastern states of Imo, Anambra and Eboyi.
He was said to have sounded it loud and clear that that all the military efforts in the recent time are all geared towards degrading the terrorist Organizations and Bandits Grou, wherever they are hibernating or hiding across the country .