Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 12 Brigade have gunned down a notorious bandit kingpin, Kachalla Balla, alongside five of his fighters during clearance operations in Kogi State.
Naijaonpoint reports that the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations for the 12 Brigade, Lieutenant Hassan Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Lokoja.
Abdullahi explained that the operation was part of Operation EGWUA A TITE II, launched on September 1, 2025, to rid Kogi of banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.
The statement read, “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 army spokesman noted that troops also ambushed a suspected supply route at the Agbede–Adankoo Bridge (Mosalanci Boka), killing a logistics courier and recovering a motorcycle, two mobile phones, and an AK-47 magazine loaded with 20 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
According to Abdullahi, soldiers from the 126 Battalion engaged another bandit group in the Tunga general area, neutralising two more fighters.
He added, “In an effort to boost troops’ morale, the Commander, 12 Brigade Nigerian Army and Force Commander Operation Accord III, Brigadier General Kasim Umar Sidi, led the follow-up operation, destroying several bandits’ settlements while dominating the area with patrols and ambushes.”
Earlier on September 2, troops supported by the 405 Helicopter Combat Training Group launched an airstrike on Ankomi, hitting fleeing bandits and killing several.
The statement further confirmed that clearance operations conducted between September 3 and 4 in Aleke, Ungwan Soni, and Ungwan Nyaba communities led to the rescue of Mr. Pabo Suleiman and his two children, who have since been reunited with their family. Troops also recovered five locally made dane guns.
Kogi State, which shares boundaries with nine states and the Federal Capital Territory, has become a hotspot for banditry in recent years due to its strategic location and challenging terrain. Criminal gangs often use their forests and riverine areas as hideouts to launch attacks on communities, travellers, and security personnel.
Security sources who spoke with Punch described Kachalla Balla as one of the most dreaded bandit leaders operating in the state, noting that his death marked “a breakthrough” in the army’s ongoing counter-banditry campaign.
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