Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA have killed no fewer than 65 bandits in a fierce, seven-hour ground and air assault in Zamfara State, inflicting what security analysts describe as one of the most significant blows to organised banditry in the North-West in recent memory.
Among those killed was Kachalla Iliya Sarki — a notorious bandit commander and son of wanted kingpin Alhaji Ado Allero — in an operation that struck at the heart of one of the region’s most feared criminal networks.
The offensive, which commenced at about 6:00pm on Saturday and raged through the night, was executed at Munhaye village, behind Kunchin Kalgo in Tsafe Local Government Area. Precision airstrikes combined with advancing ground forces overwhelmed bandit positions, dealing a devastating setback to a group long associated with deadly attacks across Zamfara, Katsina and parts of Kano State.
Security analyst, Zagazola Makama, noted that Ado Allero had anticipated the assault and mobilised heavily for a confrontation, deploying an estimated 300 motorcycle-borne fighters from the Yan Wari axis, with additional reinforcements drawn from the camp of Dankarami Gwaska. The scale of the mobilisation pointed to a calculated attempt to repel the advancing troops.
It was not enough. “The superior firepower and tactical coordination of the troops overwhelmed the terrorists, leading to heavy casualties on their side,” a source said.
Beyond Iliya Sarki, troops also killed two other senior lieutenants — Dogo Sule and Iliya Mai Rasha. Sources said Iliya Mai Rasha had assumed expanded leadership responsibilities within the network following the killing of another commander, identified only as Alti, just a month earlier. Seven vigilantes fighting alongside the military were also killed in the encounter.
Iliya Sarki was regarded as one of the most vicious bandit commanders operating across the North-West, with a record of kidnappings, cattle rustling and deadly raids spanning Katsina and Zamfara States. His criminal career had at one point attracted a high-profile arrest in Katsina during the administration of former Governor Aminu Bello Masari — but he was subsequently released after his father allegedly orchestrated the abduction of senior police officers to force negotiations for his freedom.
In a telling illustration of his network’s operational reach, sources revealed that Iliya Sarki had travelled to Kano just four days before his death to rustle livestock — underscoring the trans-state scope of the criminal enterprise his father commands.
Following the rout, Ado Allero is reported to have fled the theatre of battle and is currently believed to be in hiding in Yankuzu town. Exploitation operations by troops were still ongoing at the time of filing this report, as the military pressed its advantage to dismantle what remains of his network.
Security analysts say the elimination of Iliya Sarki will significantly disrupt command and control structures within the group. “This is a major operational success. The death of Iliya Sarki will significantly disrupt command and control structures within the group,” one analyst said.
Despite the scale of the success, security sources are urging vigilance, warning that Ado Allero is likely to mobilise surviving fighters for retaliatory strikes in response to the killing of his son and key commanders.
“This is a major operational success, but we must also anticipate possible revenge attacks. That is why troops are maintaining heightened vigilance across vulnerable communities,” a source warned.
The operation marks a potentially decisive moment in the military campaign against banditry in the tri-border region linking Zamfara, Katsina and Kano States — an area that has been among the most brutally afflicted by armed criminal violence in Nigeria’s North-West.
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