Kachalla Gudau, a dreaded bandit who commanded a large number of foot soldiers carrying out kidnappings and killings in Chikun, Kachia and Kajuru Local Government Areas, was among the bandits killed by troops of the Nigerian Army on Sunday, at Kankomi in Kaduna State.
Samuel Aruwan, Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, stated on Wednesday that careful exploitation of human intelligence networks, supported by additional pieces of information, proved that Gudau was in fact one of those killed by the brave soldiers as they repelled an attack launched by the notorious bandit himself, putting an end to his undignified reign of brutality and evil.
He claimed that the infamous bandit, who was believed to have connections to other kingpins in the North-West and North-Central states, was found dead in the Kankomi forest.
Aruwan added that credible sources reported that after his remains were retrieved, a large number of bandits under his command buried him in a location said to be around Kaku forest situated in Kaso general area of the Chikun LGA of the state.
According to him, the identity of another of the neutralised bandits, whose remains were found by the troops, had been confirmed as āRigimammeā one of Gudauās trusted criminal aides.
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The commissioner said, āGudau played leading roles in the joint kidnappings of students and expatriates in Kajuru, Chikun and Kachia councils, aside the murders of kidnapped citizens and victims who resisted abduction.
āAdded to these nefarious activities, Gudau was engaged in coordinated attacks on herder settlements, disposing them of livestock, which made him the illegal possessor of large herds of cattle. These he regularly traded for amounts running into millions of naira. He also made deals for illicit drugs and acquisition of sophisticated arms and ammunition.
āThe high point of his cattle rustling spree came in the first and second quarters of 2022, where in Kajuru LGA alone, Gudau and his partners rustled 1,600 and 3,332 cattle respectively, a total of 4,932 cows stolen in the first six months of 2022.
āWith the ongoing aggressive kinetic operations, Gudauās cattle rustling ā in Kajuru LGA particularly ā began to wane, as 132 cattle were rustled in the third quarter of 2022 (the period spanning July, August and September).
āThe heat of the kinetic operations which denied his bandits freedom of action may have prompted the attack on the military base in Kankomi, where he met his waterloo.
āThe resolve of Governor Nasir El-Rufai to pursue the containment of terrorism, and all forms of crime threatening the security and safety of citizens, remains unshakeable. The government of Kaduna State under his watch will continue to support security forces on all fronts.
āThe inglorious end of Kachalla Gudau is a welcome development and a clear statement that those who pose a threat to security and safety will certainly have a date with history, and will be made to face justice or their bitter end, no matter how distant it might seem.ā