Zamfara Bandit Leader Executes 7 Loyalists for Suspected Betrayal, Unauthorized Kidnappings

The killings, reported across several villages and forests, highlight escalating internal tensions within his faction amid ongoing peace talks with federal authorities.

According to counter-insurgency expert and security analyst Zagazola Makama, the executions occurred in the villages of Takulawa, Turba, Bamamu, and the Yamma forest axis. 

Makama, who disclosed the incident via a post on X, stated that Aleru accused the fighters of conducting unsanctioned kidnappings along the Gusau–Yankara highway, actions he viewed as a direct challenge to his control and a risk of attracting heightened security scrutiny.  

“He personally executed seven of them after confirming they were behind recent abductions of travellers on the highway. 

He feared their actions were drawing too much attention from security forces,” one source told Makama.  

The analyst noted that the brutal response has sown fear and discontent among Aleru’s remaining loyalists, who perceive the killings as evidence of deepening mistrust within the group.  

Aleru, previously designated a wanted terrorist by the Federal Government, has a long history of orchestrating kidnappings, killings, and cattle rustling in Zamfara, Katsina, and parts of Sokoto States. 

Despite his notoriety, he has been engaged in discussions with a federal committee aimed at ending hostilities in the North West region, a development that adds complexity to the latest internal purge.  

No official response from security agencies has been issued as of Thursday, though intensified patrols have been reported along the affected highway.