8 killed, scores injured as bandits clash over cattle in Niger

From John Adams, Minna

There is palpable fear and anxiety in the Kusasu community and its surrounding villages in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State following a bloody clash between two bandit groups over cattle, which led to the death of no fewer than eight bandits and several others injured.

The bloody clash was between the Dogo Jede led arm group and the Ali Kachala group. The two rival groups have continued to struggle for territorial control in Shiroro, Munya, Rafi and parts of Paikoro local government areas of the state as they continue to unleash terror on the people with impunity.

In 2021, the two groups, after a similar clash over disagreements on monetary levies imposed on communities, were said to have shared the territories and had operated strictly within each others’ territory since then until last week Friday, when the Ali Kachala group launched an attack on the Dogo Jede camp and carted away over 5,000 cattle.

A reliable source close to the Kusasu community said Dogo Jede, who is currently recuperating from an undisclosed illness at his main hideout in a village in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, gave his boys 48 hours within which to recover all the cattle stolen from his camp.

It was gathered that the Dogo Jede boys mobilised in their numbers and invaded the camp of Ali Kachala and engaged them in a fierce gun battle, which lasted for several hours in the night of Friday, leading to the death of no fewer than eight of the bandits while scores were injured.

Our source further disclosed that while six bandits from the Ali Kachala group were killed, the Dogo Jede group lost two of its members with death tolls expected to rise due to the degree of injuries sustained by the fighters.

Although the Dogo Jede group successfully retrieved almost all the cattle taken away by the other group, there are fears among the community and its surrounding villages that there might be a reappraisal from the Ali Kachala group.

“Majority of the villagers are relocating to nearby villages to avoid being caught in the crossfire while others, mostly men, are living in fear in the community, even though no community member was touched during the clash. It was solely between the two rival groups,” our source said.