Operatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Nigerian Army and DSS have neutralised notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Kabiru, and several of his lieutenants during a joint operation in Kogi State, a trusted source revealed to The Nation on Monday.

It was gathered that the operation, which included precision airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force, was carried out on February 13th 2026, after weeks of sustained intelligence gathering and surveillance that confirmed Kabiru’s presence at a designated hideout.

Kachalla Kabiru and some of his top lieutenants were neutralised in a coordinated operation involving air and ground assets,” stated the source. “The strike followed credible intelligence confirming the kingpin’s presence at a designated target location”.

The source added that, Kabiru was centrally involved in the recruitment, coordination and movement of bandits across several states in the North Central and adjoining zones.

“Kabiru moved from the North West into Kogi over 10 years ago and entrenched himself in the forests and border communities”. “From there, he coordinated kidnapping and banditry operations across Kogi, Kwara, Benue, Enugu, Edo, Ekiti and Ondo states. He was a key node linking criminal groups across state lines.” the source confirmed.

The source disclosed that Kabiru played a major role in logistics and manpower mobilisation for bandit groups, facilitating the movement of fighters, weapons and kidnapped victims between forest corridors extending from the North West into the North Central and South West zones.

The neutralisation of Kabiru marks a significant blow to organised banditry in the North Central zone and is expected to disrupt operational coordination among criminal elements. (The Nation)