The Nigerian Army has killed five notorious bandit commanders and seized a large cache of weapons during an operation in Zamfara State.

The troops’ spokesperson, Suleiman Omale, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

Omale said five notorious bandit kingpins had invaded Mai Kwanugga village in Talata Mafara LGA.

“ The terrorists, who had unleashed mayhem by attacking innocent civilians and razing homes, were decisively engaged in a fierce and well-coordinated firefight,” Omale said.

“The encounter resulted in the neutralization of several insurgents, including five high-profile bandit kingpins named Auta Jijji, Dankali, Sagidi, Kachallah Rijaji, and Kachallah Suza.”

He added that a formidable cache of arms and ammunition, which included 4 x AK-47 Rifles, 1 x PKT General Purpose Machine Gun, 2 x Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launchers, 6 x Rocket-Propelled Grenade Bombs, 28 x 7.62mm Special Rounds and 43 x PKT Ammunition Rounds were recovered during the operation.

According to Omale, community members voluntarily handed over additional weapons recovered and provided actionable intelligence confirming the identities and fatalities of the neutralized terrorist commanders in a follow-up exploitation operation conducted on 2 May 2025.

“The success of the operation was significantly enabled by the proactive cooperation of local residents, whose timely and credible reports were instrumental to the swift military response.”

The Commander 1 Brigade, Brigadier General Timothy Opurum, commended the troops for their courage and operational dexterity.

He lauded the patriotic conduct of the local populace and reaffirmed the unwavering resolve of the military to protect lives, safeguard properties, and rid Zamfara State of all criminal elements.

He urged the citizens to remain vigilant and to continue providing reliable information to security agencies.