By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Gusau
Residents of several communities in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State say the reported deaths of key bandit leaders have brought a measure of relief after years of violent attacks, kidnappings and extortion.
The respite follows the killing of a notorious forest bandit commander identified as Alti, who had long operated across Zamfara and neighbouring Katsina State.
Security sources and local informants said Alti was recently killed in Katsina during what was believed to be a coordinated ambush by a rival bandit faction, before troops of Operation Fansan Yamma engaged and neutralised more fighters linked to his group.
Alti reportedly rose to prominence after the death of another feared commander, Dan Isihu, who was killed about a year ago during the Ramadan period.
After taking over the faction, he was said to have expanded the group’s violent operations across several rural communities in Tsafe LGA.
Local sources described him as one of the most feared bandit leaders in the area, blamed for repeated attacks on villages such as Dan Jibga, Kunchin Kalgo and Hayin Kanggana.
He was also linked to the increasing use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by criminal groups operating in the North-West.
Sources alleged that Alti recently travelled to Libya where he reportedly obtained explosive devices later planted along the Zaria–Gusau highway, with one blast striking a cement truck and triggering panic that enabled bandits to abduct travellers.
His death, however, has reportedly sparked fresh rivalries among armed groups in the forests straddling Zamfara and Katsina states, with reprisals already linked to factions loyal to the notorious bandit kingpin Ado Aleiro.
Residents in Tsafe communities say despite lingering tensions among the gangs, the deaths of Alti and another bandit figure, Babalo, who was recently killed by troops after sustaining injuries in an earlier clash, have brought a temporary sense of relief to communities long terrorised by the criminals.
