By: Zagazola Makama
The recent bandit attack in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State has once again brought to the fore the fragile security situation in Nigeria’s northwest, where rival warlords continue to terrorise rural communities.
According to sources, the Aug. 9 incident, which left two villagers dead and six others briefly abducted, was not just a random act of violence it was the fallout of a dispute between two notorious bandit leaders, Dogo Gide and Kachalla Alti.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the drama began at about 8:30 a.m. when residents from Keta, Kwaren Gabuwa, and Bawa Ganga villages were allegedly forced to work on a farm linked to Dogo Gide.
While the villagers laboured on his farmland at the outskirts of Keta, another bandit leader, Kachalla Alti, reportedly launched a retaliatory raid, abducting six people on the spot.
By late afternoon, at about 5:20 p.m., security forces recovered the bodies of two victims and rescued one other with gunshot wounds. In a surprising twist, the captives were released later that night at about 8:30 p.m., possibly due to negotiations or inter-gang arrangements.
The bodies and the injured were taken to the General Hospital in Tsafe for autopsy and treatment, while security forces and local vigilantes intensified patrols in the area.
Dogo Gide, believed to control vast criminal networks operating across Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, and parts of Kaduna State, has been on the security watchlist for years, linked to high-profile kidnappings, mass killings, and attacks on security formations.
