12 Brigade Nigerian Army troops, under Operation ACCORD III and coordinated with the Other Hybrid Forces (OHF), neutralised notorious bandit commander Babangida Kachala in an ambush at Kogi State.
This was confirmed by the Acting Assistant Director, 12 Brigade Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Hassan Abdullahi, in a statement made available on Saturday.
According to him, on September 11th 2025, troops acting on credible intelligence of bandit operations within and around Ofere Forest and Ayetoro Gbede, launched an ambush at a suspected crossing point. Though there was no contact initially, the troops later had their return to base ambushed by the criminals.
There ensued a hot exchange of fire, and the bandits were overpowered by the soldiers who disarmed one. The following was recovered from the scene: a loaded magazine, 31 mobile phones, blood pressure machine, Tramadol packs, fetish charm, and ₦16,000. Bloodstains on the scene suggested that some others made away with gunshot injuries.
Subsequent intelligence confirmed that among the wounded who escaped were Babangida Kachala, deputy to Kachala Shuaibu, commander of a bandit gang operating on the Masalaci Boka and Ofere Forest axis. He was subsequently confirmed dead from gunshot wounds.
Lieutenant Abdullahi further stated that troops have remained in charge of the zone with combat patrols and ambushes to drive out remnants of the criminal outfit. He assured the people of Kogi State of the Army’s commitment to restore enduring peace and called on citizens to avail operations with credible information.
