Nigerian troops have arrested the second-in-command to a notorious bandit kingpin, Kachalla Auta, alongside his wife in Gombe State following an intelligence-led tracking operation across multiple locations.
Military sources said the suspects, identified as Bala, popularly known as “Pakapaka,” and his wife, Zulaha Bala, were intercepted after fleeing from Dajin Madam Forest in Plateau State.
According to the sources, the arrests were the result of sustained intelligence surveillance and coordinated ground tracking by security operatives targeting fleeing members of the criminal network.
The suspects are currently in custody and undergoing interrogation to determine their level of involvement in the group’s activities and possible connections with other cells operating within and outside the region.
In a related development, troops conducted follow-up patrols around Bayar village in the Duguri axis after intelligence indicated that the main bandit kingpin had fled into the area.
He was credited with the killing of many people running into hundreds
However, no contact was made during the search operation.
Troops have continued to dominate the general area with sustained patrols aimed at denying criminal elements freedom of movement and disrupting their operational networks across Plateau, Taraba, and adjoining states.