Notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji and his gang have reportedly seized an Armoured Personnel Carrier and a high level of ammunition from the Nigerian Army in a recent confrontation.
Videos shared on social media showed Turji and his men celebrating the takeover as the latest severe blow to the ongoing military operations against banditry terrorism in the region.
ZagaZola Makama, a counterinsurgency and security expert in the Lake Chad region, said the incident happened after the Nigerian Army received a distress report that a high-level meeting of bandits was taking place within Turji’s camp. On getting the report, a team of troops led by a young officer was immediately deployed to the area.
But the operation encountered some hitches almost immediately after a vehicle of the troops sank in the marshy terrain, greatly impairing their progress. The soldiers soon came under fierce fire from the bandits, leading to an exchange of gunfire for hours.
“Due to the weather conditions (heavy rain), throughout the day, air support was unable to arrive promptly, allowing the bandits to reinforce their position. The troops attempted to use the other MRAP to pull out the other one but it got stuck in the mud too,” Makama explained.
“Another team of troops were reinforced to the scene but before their arrival, the situation became overwhelming for those holding the ground as they could not pull out their two MRAPS. The troops withdrew, leaving behind the vehicles. No fatality was recorded in the encounter.”
This attack raises concern about the strength and capability of bandit groups in Nigeria, especially within Zamfara State, as Turji has been able to build his influence there.
This further questions how effective the current military strategies are, and indeed whether more robust support is required for ground troops operating on such difficult terrains.
The Nigerian military has been engaged in a series of efforts toward the needed restoration of peace in the North West, where bandits have terrorised communities into tens of thousands of displacements and loss of lives.
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