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FACT CHECK: How Bello Turji ambush DSS personnel and HYBRID forces in Fakai village, Zamfara

FACT CHECK: How Bello Turji ambush DSS personnel and HYBRID forces in Fakai village, Zamfara
By: Zagazola Makama
Following the deadly ambush on a covert counter-banditry operation in Chida village of Fakai, Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, by the DSS and Hybrid personnel, conflicting reports have continued to swirl around the actual number of casualties and the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Some media outlets initially reported that 24 security personnel were killed. Others, in the following hours, raised the figures to 40, and by the next day, some headlines claimed up to 100 fatalities. However, an in-depth fact-check conducted by Zagazola Makama has uncovered discrepancies in the early media narratives and clarifies what truly transpired.
The Operation
On June 23, a joint covert operation involving the Department of State Services (DSS) and a special unit of the HYBRID Forces a blend Civilian Joint Task Force operatives was launched into the notorious bandit stronghold of Chida village. The area is a known operational base of Bello Turji, one of the most wanted terror leaders in the North West.
According to credible intelligence sources familiar with the operation, over 314 personnel were mobilised for the assault. The objective was a targeted neutralisation of Bello Turji and his lutenant that have reigned terror in the North West region.
At the onset, the mission recorded initial success. Over 25 bandits were reportedly neutralised, and several camps were destroyed in the first phase of the assault.
However, things tool a bad turn quickly when fleeing terrorists reportedly reached Turji’s inner enclave and informed him of the incursion. In response, Turji is believed to have mobilised more than 100 heavily armed fighters for a swift counter-attack.
According to sources on the ground, the DSS-led personnel, operating without clear aerial surveillance or local terrain advantage, were taken by surprise in a devastating ambush. The attackers reportedly surrounded the operatives and launched a coordinated assault with heavy fire.
The ambush resulted in the instant deaths of 10 members of the HYBRID Forces and one Bashir Maniya an ex-militant leader along with two of his lieutenants from Sokoto who had joined the mission. An additional 28 operatives fled into surrounding bushes in a bid to escape. Twenty-three others, including DSS personnel and local civilians, were wounded during the assault, and 48 individuals were still unaccounted for at the time of filing this report. Two operational vehicles belonging to the DSS were also destroyed, and some weapons were reportedly seized by the bandits.
Reality Check on Fatalities
Contrary to exaggerated figures circulating online and in print, official intelligence sources confirmed to Zagazola that only 13 confirmed deaths occurred in the ambush 10 HYBRID operatives, 3 private collaborators. The majority of the operatives 238 out of 314 returned without injury. Bello Turji later did a video showing at-least 9 people who were killed at the scene, while others died from injuries.
Communication Failure and Lack of Reinforcement
One critical factor that complicated the aftermath was the total blackout in GSM communication in Zamfara’s Shinkafi axis. With no satellite or radio relay functioning at the time, reinforcements could not be deployed promptly. The terrain, notorious for its poor access roads and dense bush paths, due to the rain fall, further impeded a quick response by the troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA.
Security experts who spoke to Zagazola Makama emphasised that the outcome may have been different had there been real-time intelligence coordination, backup planning, and multi-agency synergy, especially involving the military or air support during the operation.
The DSS reportedly undertook the mission with minimal collaboration from the Nigerian Army or Air Force, despite the high-risk nature of the target.
Security analysts warn that no single agency should undertake deep incursions into hostile territories like Shinkafi without full-spectrum support including ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance), air support, casualty evacuation plans, and fallback protocols.
While the nation continues to support and commend the bravery of operatives confronting violent non-state actors in the North West, it is imperative that future missions—particularly those targeting high-value targets like Bello Turjiare better coordinated. Only a unified front across intelligence, military, and paramilitary agencies can yield sustainable results and prevent tragic losses.
FACT CHECK: How Bello Turji ambush DSS personnel and HYBRID forces in Fakai village, Zamfara
News
Suspected Lakurawa bandits kill farmer in Sokoto attack

Suspected Lakurawa bandits kill farmer in Sokoto attack
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits suspected to be members of the notorious Lakurawa group have killed a farmer in Marake Village, Gudu Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Zagazola Makaka gathered that the incident occurred on July 16 at about 4:00 p.m. when the assailants, riding on motorcycles, stormed the farmlands where local farmers were working.
During the attack, one of the farmers, identified as Hamisu Bala, was shot and died on the spot.
Troops of Nigerian Army’s Operation FANSAN swiftly responded to the distress call and visited the scene.
The victim’s body was conveyed to a nearby hospital, while security operatives launched a patrol and manhunt operation in the surrounding villages to track down the fleeing attackers.
Suspected Lakurawa bandits kill farmer in Sokoto attack
News
Man allegedly kills three children in Osun, dies after mob attack

Man allegedly kills three children in Osun, dies after mob attack
By: Zagazola Makama
Tragedy struck in Oba-Ile, Osun State, as a man suspected to be a drug addict allegedly macheted three children to death before being lynched by an angry mob.
Zagazola gathered that the incident occurred on July 15 at about 8:05 p.m. when the suspect, identified as Sodiq Eniola, aged 30, stormed the compound of one Mr Ganiyu Bamidele at Ese Ola’s compound.
According to Mr Bamidele, the suspect went directly to his wife’s shop located within the premises where he found the couple’s three children sleeping and attacked them with a machete, killing all three on the spot.
Upon receiving the distress report, police officers from Oba-Ile Division swiftly mobilised to the scene, where they met a mob attempting to mete out jungle justice to the suspect.
Despite efforts to rescue him, Sodiq Eniola sustained severe injuries from the mob assault and later died while being transported to the hospital.
Man allegedly kills three children in Osun, dies after mob attack
News
One killed, two policemen injured in Katsina communal clash over grazing land

One killed, two policemen injured in Katsina communal clash over grazing land
By: Zagazola Makama
A communal clash between residents of Rijiyar Tsamiya village in Sandamu Local Government Area and Munawa village in Dutsi LGA has left one person dead and two policemen injured.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the violence erupted on Wednesday morning following a longstanding dispute over grazing land between the two communities.
The sources said that at about 7:00 a.m., a mob from Rijiyar Tsamiya launched an attack on Munawa village, during which several mud silos used for storing grain were set ablaze.
In the ensuing violence, a 20-year-old man identified as Gaddafi Umar from Rijiyar Tsamiya sustained critical injuries. Two policemen who responded to the disturbance also sustained injuries during the operation.
All three victims were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre in Daura for treatment. However, Gaddafi Umar was later confirmed dead by medical personnel, while the two police officers were treated and discharged.
Police sources say Preliminary investigations indicate that the root cause of the conflict was a dispute over grazing land a common source of tension in the region.
Security personnel have since restored calm to the area and assured residents that normalcy has returned, while further investigation is ongoing to prevent a recurrence.
One killed, two policemen injured in Katsina communal clash over grazing land
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