Operatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Nigerian Army and DSS, have reportedly neutralised a notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Kabiru and several of his lieutenants during a joint operation in Kogi State.
Credible security sources revealed that the operation, which included precision airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force, was carried out on Friday, February 13, 2026, after weeks of sustained intelligence gathering and surveillance that confirmed Kabiru’s presence at a designated hideout.
According to a source; “Kachalla Kabiru and some of his top lieutenants were neutralised in a coordinated operation involving air and ground assets.
“The strike followed credible intelligence confirming the kingpin’s presence at a designated target location,” the sourced said.
Forefront News gathered that Kabiru was centrally involved in the recruitment, coordination and movement of bandits across several states in the North Central and adjoining zones.
“Kabiru moved from the North West into Kogi over 10 years ago and entrenched himself in the forests and border communities.
“From there, he coordinated kidnapping and banditry operations across Kogi, Kwara, Benue, Enugu, Edo, Ekiti and Ondo states. He was a key node linking criminal groups across state lines,” the source confirmed.
Another credible source disclosed that Kabiru played a major role in logistics and manpower mobilisation for bandit groups, facilitating the movement of fighters, weapons and kidnapped victims between forest corridors extending from the North West into the North Central and South West zones.
It was gathered that the neutralisation of Kabiru marked a significant blow to organised banditry in the North Central zone and is expected to disrupt operational coordination among criminal elements.
