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How ground pressure, air power are reshaping the war against banditry in Nigeria’s North-West
How ground pressure, air power are reshaping the war against banditry in Nigeria’s North-West
By Zagazola Makama
The opening days of 2026 have laid bare a defining reality of Nigeria’s North-West security landscape: the war against banditry is no longer episodic or localised, but a fluid, intelligence-driven contest unfolding simultaneously across multiple states, terrains and threat vectors.
From Katsina to Niger, Kano and Zamfara, a chain of interlinked incidents reveals both the growing effectiveness of air power and intelligence-led ground operations, and the stubborn adaptability of armed criminal networks determined to survive under pressure.
At the core of the evolving campaign is the decisive Nigerian Air Force (NAF) offensive under Operation FANSAN YANMA in Katsina State. Sustained Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) enabled air assets to track the movement of about 50 motorcycles suspected to be ferrying armed bandits along a known infiltration corridor. When a large cluster converged in the Matazu axis, the convergence point was designated and struck with precision. Zagazola later obtained a video footage of the strike with dozens of bandits scattered and burnt beyond recognition.
The impact went beyond the immediate neutralisation of several bandits. By breaking a massed movement likely intended for an attack, redeployment or logistics transfer, the strike achieved a critical operational effect: fragmentation. In contemporary bandit warfare, where speed, numbers and surprise are force multipliers, denying criminals the ability to assemble is often as decisive as killing them outright.
Post-strike behaviour reinforced this assessment. Surviving elements scattered in disarray, disrupting coordination and degrading momentum. This pattern track, fix, strike, fragment increasingly defines the counter terrorism campaign in the North-West Operation FANSAN YANMA.
Yet the Katsina airstrike cannot be viewed in isolation. While bandit formations were being degraded from the air, armed groups continued probing vulnerabilities across the wider North-West corridor.
In Niger State’s Borgu axis, dozens of armed men on motorcycles attacked and set parts of a security outpost ablaze before fleeing. Although no casualties were recorded and no weapons lost, the incident carried symbolic weight. It illustrated the persistence of bandit and insurgent-linked elements in targeting state authority, particularly in remote, border-adjacent communities where response times are tested.
That same transnational dynamic was evident in the crash of a NAF drone on farmland in Kontagora. The drone, reportedly on an operational mission, pointed to the intensity and geographic spread of aerial surveillance and strike efforts. While no casualties were recorded, the incident illustrated the risks inherent in sustained high-tempo ISR operations across vast and rugged terrain.
On the ground, bandit violence continues to exact a human and economic toll. In Katsina’s Malumfashi axis, suspected bandits attacked Naino village, killing two residents and injuring six others. Joint security deployments, medical evacuation and blocking operations followed, but the incident reinforced a grim truth: even as air power constrains large-scale movements, smaller cells retain the ability to strike villages with lethal effect.
Similarly, in Katsina border communities near the Niger Republic, bandits rustled cattle and injured residents who attempted to resist them. Livestock theft remains central to the bandit economy, a source of funding, food and leverage over rural populations.
Further south in Kano State, attacks in Shanono and Tsanyawa LGAs revealed another layer of the conflict. In Farin-Fuwa village, bandits engaged responding forces in a gun battle that claimed the life of a soldier. In Tsanyawa, cattle rustlers struck and escaped before security teams arrived. These incidents show how bandit groups oscillate between direct confrontation and economic sabotage, depending on opportunity and resistance.
Zamfara State continues to illustrate the most complex end of the spectrum. In Bukuyyum LGA, armed bandits and elements of the outlawed YANSAKAI group carried out fatal attacks, including the killing of a civilian inside a mosque and the murder of local hunters along rural routes.
At the same time, swift intervention by security forces in another incident prevented the abduction of civilians, drawing attention to the difference timely intelligence and rapid response can make. Ongoing operations by the troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA in the Bukuyyum–Mada axis now focus on tracking fleeing elements, dominating forest corridors and recovering looted arms.
Taken together, these incidents reveal a theatre in transition rather than resolution. Bandit groups are increasingly constrained in their ability to move in large, coordinated formations, largely due to ISR-driven air operations. Yet they remain capable of opportunistic attacks, arson, targeted killings and cattle rustling, particularly in rural and border communities.
The response, correspondingly, is becoming more intelligence-centric. ISR now underpins both air interdiction and ground manoeuvre. Blocking operations, area domination and follow-on patrols increasingly complement strikes from the air, creating cumulative pressure that limits regrouping.
What is unfolding in the North-West is not a single decisive battle, but a campaign of attrition. Air power disrupts, dislocates and degrades. Ground actions deny escape, recover weapons and reassure communities.
Yet, the challenge remains far from over. Bandit networks are fluid, opportunistic and deeply embedded in difficult terrain. Sustaining pressure, maintaining ISR superiority and denying escape routes will be critical in preventing regrouping and retaliatory attacks.
The strategic lesson is clear: sustained dominance requires continuity. Tactical victories, no matter how precise, must be followed by relentless monitoring, cross-state coordination and disruption of the economic lifelines that sustain banditry.
As 2026 unfolds, early indicators suggest that when intelligence leads and force follows decisively, criminal networks pay a heavy price. The challenge ahead lies in sustaining this momentum long enough to convert battlefield success into lasting stability for communities across Katsina, Niger, Kano, Zamfara and the wider North-West region.
Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region.
How ground pressure, air power are reshaping the war against banditry in Nigeria’s North-West
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NDLEA Arrests Ex-Lagos Councillor, Uncovers Drugs Hidden in Baby Diapers, Intercepts IED Components
NDLEA Arrests Ex-Lagos Councillor, Uncovers Drugs Hidden in Baby Diapers, Intercepts IED Components
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intensified their nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking, arresting a former Lagos councillor and uncovering a series of drug consignments concealed in unusual ways, including inside baby diapers, while also intercepting components suspected to be meant for improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
In one of the most striking arrests, NDLEA officers apprehended Sheleru Sadiq Olalekan, a former two-term councillor in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State, following intelligence linking him to illicit drug activities.
Olalekan, 45, who represented the Orimedu community during his tenure and currently serves as a legislative aide, was arrested on March 2 at his residence in Ilado, Ibeju-Lekki. A search of his home led to the discovery of 40 kilogrammes of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden in one of the rooms.
According to the agency, the suspect admitted ownership of both the drugs and the property where they were recovered.
In a separate operation in Abuja, NDLEA operatives intercepted a businessman, Emeka Okwor, 32, travelling from Obollo-Afor in Enugu State to Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory.
During a search of his luggage, officers discovered 1,000 pills of tapentadol 250mg concealed inside baby diapers. The suspect reportedly confessed that he was transporting the drugs to Guduwa village in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, where he operates a provision store.
On the same day, NDLEA patrol officers along the Kabba–Obajana highway in Kogi State intercepted a consignment of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 1.55 kilogrammes, concealed inside a carton of a standing fan.
According to a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, the drugs were traced to a 36-year-old Cameroonian national, Mey Ali Muhamat, who was travelling in a commercial bus from Lagos to Cameroon through Lokoja, Kano and Maiduguri.
In another security-related development, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Mokwa–Jebba road in Niger State intercepted a commercial bus transporting 500 components suspected to be used for improvised explosive devices.
The items were concealed in a white sack and were reportedly meant to be delivered to a recipient in Pelegi community. Babafemi said a swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged recipient, Osama Abdullahi, 21, in Mashegu Local Government Area.
The agency also recorded major drug seizures in other parts of the country. In Yola, Adamawa State, NDLEA officers uncovered 122,000 tramadol pills and 700 grammes of methamphetamine hidden in a false compartment of a truck carrying 2,000 cartons of local drinks.
In Kano State, a 20-year-old suspect, Muhammed Ali, was arrested at Gadar Tamburawa with 11,283 tramadol pills.
Similarly, operatives in Ogun State raided a drug hideout in Ogere, arresting Nazifi Mudansir and Kabiru Musa with 46 kilogrammes of skunk.
In Delta State, two suspects — Joy Chukwuma, 25, and Eugene Felix, 22 — were apprehended in Ogwashi-Uku with 18.63 kilogrammes of skunk, 10.8 litres of codeine-based syrup and 4,268 pills of tramadol and swinol.
A major cannabis cultivation site was also dismantled in Edo State, where NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects, Eke London, 48, and Austin Isusi, 49, at Egbisi forest in Uhumwonde Local Government Area and destroyed 1,910.25 kilogrammes of skunk on two farms.
Another suspect, Alaba Adeboye, 47, was arrested in Ikhin town, Owan East Local Government Area, with 176.5 kilogrammes of skunk.
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said it continued to expand its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools, religious centres and communities nationwide.
The outreach programmes included awareness lectures in several secondary schools across Oyo, Niger, Zamfara, Lagos, Sokoto, Ebonyi and Anambra states.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Maj. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd.) commended officers across the Lagos, FCT, Kano, Niger, Kogi, Edo, Ogun, Delta and Adamawa commands for the arrests and seizures.
He urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced strategy of aggressive enforcement alongside public education aimed at reducing drug abuse and trafficking across the country.
NDLEA Arrests Ex-Lagos Councillor, Uncovers Drugs Hidden in Baby Diapers, Intercepts IED Components
Passenger stabbed to death after minor accident in Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
A minor road accident in Bayo Local Government Area of Borno on Saturday turned fatal after a passenger was allegedly stabbed to death during a dispute that followed the incident.
Sources said the incident occurred on March 7 at about 5:30 p.m. at Gamadadi involving a Golf vehicle and a motorcycle.
The Golf vehicle with registration number FUG 283 AE, Edo, driven by Danjuma Abdullahi of Kodom Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State, was conveying five passengers from Biu to Gombe State when the accident occurred.
The motorcycle, a TVS model with registration number ABM 340 QA, Abuja, was ridden by Abdullahi Umar of Dadi Kowa and had two passengers identified as Abubakar Musa and Yahaya Ibrahim.
According to police, the motorcyclist attempted to overtake the vehicle from the passenger side but collided with it and fell.
As a result of the crash, the rider and one of the passengers, Abubakar Musa, sustained minor injuries.
However, in the aftermath of the accident, Yahaya Ibrahim, 30, allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed one of the vehicle passengers, Ahmed Mohammed, 27, of Tudun Wada Fantami in Gombe State, on the leg.
Police said the suspect also smashed the front windshield of the vehicle with a heavy stone.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Bayo led a patrol team to the scene where the victim was found in a pool of blood.
He was rushed to the Cottage Hospital in Hinna but was confirmed dead on arrival by a medical doctor.
The suspect has been arrested and the weapon used in the attack recovered as an exhibit.
Police said the corpse was photographed and later released to the victim’s family for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
Passenger stabbed to death after minor accident in Borno
Troops repel bandit attack in Zamfara community
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Fansan Yanma, in collaboration with police tactical teams, have repelled a bandit attack on Yankaba Village in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara.
Security sources said the incident occurred on March 7 at about 6:00 p.m. when suspected armed bandits stormed the community, shooting sporadically and causing panic among residents.
The sources said troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA along with other security agencies were swiftly deployed to engaged the terrorists in a gun battle.
According to the sources, the bandits were forced to retreat after encountering superior firepower from the troops. The attackers subsequently abandoned their mission and fled the area.
Troops have since intensified patrols and surveillance in the community to forestall further attacks.
The sources added that monitoring and security operations were ongoing in the area to ensure the safety of residents.
Troops repel bandit attack in Zamfara community
NDLEA Arrests Ex-Lagos Councillor, Uncovers Drugs Hidden in Baby Diapers, Intercepts IED Components
Passenger stabbed to death after minor accident in Borno
Troops repel bandit attack in Zamfara community
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