Notorious bandit kingpin, Ado Aleru, has reportedly executed seven of his own fighters in Zamfara State over suspicions of betrayal.
The killings were said to have occurred across the villages of Takulawa, Turba, Bamamu, and the Yamma forest axis.
Security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagozola Makama, citing local sources, revealed that Aleru accused the men of carrying out unauthorised kidnappings along the Gusau–Yankara highway—actions he saw as undermining his authority.
“He personally executed seven of them after confirming they were behind recent abductions of travellers on the highway. He feared their actions were drawing too much attention from security forces,” one of the sources disclosed.
The executions have reportedly sparked unease within Aleru’s ranks, with loyalists interpreting the move as a sign of eroding trust inside the camp.
Once declared wanted by the Federal Government, Aleru has long been accused of orchestrating kidnappings, killings, and cattle rustling across Zamfara, Katsina, and Sokoto States. He was also in discussions with a Federal committee seeking to negotiate peace in the North West.
In a separate development, two other notorious bandit leaders—Kachalla Mai Hidima and Kachalla Bingil—were gunned down in an ambush by rival gangs in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The attack reportedly occurred along the Mai Kogo–Mai Aya Aya axis in Dansadau district. According to sources, the unidentified gunmen opened fire on the kingpins and their men, killing them instantly.
“Kachalla Mai Hidima and Kachalla Bingil were caught in the ambush while moving between villages. Their deaths are believed to be linked to long-standing rivalries among bandit factions operating in the Dansadau forest,” one source explained.
Kachalla Mai Hidima, a former lieutenant of notorious bandit Dogo Gide, had broken away to form his own network and set up a base near Gidan Fulani Mai Kudi in Dansadau.
Their deaths highlight the deepening fractures among bandit groups battling for dominance over territory, hostages, and illicit revenues, including cattle rustling and forced levies on farming communities.
“This is part of a larger trend of internal conflicts among bandits, especially in Maru, Anka, and Shinkafi, where pressure from military operations has disrupted old alliances,” another source observed.
For more than a decade, the Dansadau axis of Maru has remained a flashpoint in Zamfara’s banditry crisis, serving as a stronghold for multiple armed groups