ABUJA, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- A notorious leader of the bandits terrorizing local residents in Nigeria's northern state of Kaduna has been killed in a recent clearance operation by the country's military, a government official said Friday.
"After an era of terror and evading security forces, the Kaduna state government can authoritatively report that the notorious bandit commander known as Dogo Maikasuwa has met his end," Samuel Aruwan, the commissioner of internal security and home affairs in the state of Kaduna, said in a statement.
The military disclosed the killing to the government in an operational feedback, Aruwan said, noting "Dogo Maikasuwa, also known as Dogo Maimillion, led a series of attacks and kidnappings of citizens in Kaduna." The official said that Maikasuwa used to lead his bandits to engage in operations with cruelty, often killing kidnapped victims when ransoms were delayed or considered meager.
The official did not say when exactly the notorious bandit was killed but said Maikasuwa ran into an ambush laid by security operatives in a forest around the Chikun and Kajuru areas of Kaduna.
A fierce gunfight followed the ambush, causing the bandit leader to "give up the ghost due to the superior firepower of the military", with many other bandits escaping with gun wounds, Aruwan explained.
According to the Kaduna security official, Maikasuwa was "one of the deadliest bandits who led other elements in terrorizing citizens in Kaduna." He was always dressed in green camouflage military uniforms and wielded an AK47 rifle.
Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months. ■