Operatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS) and the 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, have reportedly neutralised a notorious bandit kingpin, Kachalla Kabiru, during a coordinated security operation in Kogi State.
According to intelligence sources who spoke on the operation, which involved precision airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force, was carried out on February 13, 2026, following weeks of intensive intelligence gathering and surveillance that confirmed Kabiru’s location.
A senior security source disclosed that the joint mission successfully eliminated Kabiru alongside several of his top lieutenants in a combined air and ground assault.
“Kachalla Kabiru and some of his key commanders were neutralised in a coordinated operation involving air and ground assets,” the source said.
Kabiru had long been identified by security agencies as one of the earliest and most influential bandit leaders to establish a strong foothold in Kogi State, coordinating banditry and kidnapping operations across Kogi, Kwara, Benue, Enugu, Edo, Ekiti, and Ondo states.
Security intelligence revealed that Kabiru migrated from the North-West over a decade ago and entrenched himself within forest corridors and border communities, where he built extensive criminal networks responsible for arms movement, manpower recruitment, and large-scale kidnapping operations.
Another intelligence official described Kabiru as a major logistical hub linking criminal gangs across state lines, facilitating the movement of fighters, weapons, and abducted victims across several regions.
The successful neutralisation of the notorious kingpin is being described as a significant breakthrough in the fight against banditry and organised crime in the North-Central zone, and is expected to weaken operational coordination among criminal networks.
As of the time of filing this report, official statements from ONSA, DSS, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigerian Air Force were still being awaited.
Source: SR