BREAKING: Bandits exchange bullets in Katsina, notorious commander killed

A notorious bandit who terrorized sections of Katsina and Zamfara states has reportedly been killed by a rival gang.

Reliable sources from Batsari local government of Katsina state told Daily Trust that the bandit known as Dangote was killed in the early hours of Sunday alongside his two brothers in a gun battle with a bandit gang led by Kachalla Dankarami also known as Goska.

Both gangs have amassed dangerous weapons and they have been terrorizing the frontline local government areas in Katsina and Zamfara states for quite a long time.

Daily Trust gathered that the gun battle took place at Dunmurun in Zurmi local government area of Zamfara state, where Dankarami laid ambush against Dangote and his boys who were there to confront him.

Another reliable source from a security agency confirmed that the battle ensued as one of the Dankarami boys was killed by the Dangote gang over theft of a flock of sheep.

“What happened was that one of the boys of Dankarami carted away a flock of sheep belonging to one of Dangote’s siblings, Sale Lamo, and he was trailed by the Dangote gang who retrieved the sheep and killed the boy.”

“By then Dankarami was at Rukudawa, he was told about the incident and thus he came after them. By the time he reached Dumburum area, he heard that they have mobilized to fight him, so he waylaid them and pounced on them, killing Dangote, Lamo na Balewa and Usman Yellow.

“The theft of the ewe could just be a trigger but the clash was already planned because on Saturday, Dankarami’s boys were seen telling the residents of communities around Dumburum that there would be a clash, that they should vacate the area,” the source said.

Daily Trust also gathered that in the battle, Dankarami himself sustained injuries while a number of his boys were killed.

Another account has it that when Sale went after his sheep, the Dankarami boys killed him and some of his fighters while others who fled went and told Dangote who mobilized his fighters for a reprisal attack, not knowing that Dankarami had already mobilized fighters and laid ambush along the way.

It was gathered that after Dangote was beheaded by Dankarami himself using a knife.

The Dangote camp mobilized more fighters and they continued fighting until around 4am on Sunday.

Dangote and Dankarami belonged to rival gangs competing for territory along the Katsina-Zamfara border. They have been at logger heads a number of times, leading to the deaths of several of their camp members.

Daily Trust also gathered that even though Dankarami is based in Zamfara state, whenever he came under pressure from military onslaught, he used to migrate to Katsina with his gang members.