Nigerian troops kill notorious bandit leader Halilu Sububu

One of Nigeria’s most feared bandit leaders, Halilu Sububu, has been killed in a military ambush, marking a major victory in the country’s ongoing battle against criminal gangs. Sububu, also known as Halilu Buzu, was reportedly neutralized along with over 38 of his fighters on Thursday during an intense gun battle that followed an ambush on his convoy.

The operation, carried out by the Nigerian Air Force Special Forces, was based on intelligence on Sububu’s movements. Group Captain Kabiru Ali, a spokesman for the Nigerian Air Force, confirmed that the joint operation resulted in the killing of Sububu and a large number of his fighters. The troops also recovered a significant quantity of weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and ammunition.

Sububu, 38, was notorious for violent attacks on communities in northwestern and central Nigeria. From his base in Zamfara, he targeted villages in Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina and Niger states, engaging in activities including illegal mining and arms trafficking. He was known to supply weapons to criminal gangs from Libya via Niger and dominated areas around the Sunke Forest in the gold-rich Anka district.

The bandit leader was one of 19 bandit leaders for whom the Nigerian military had offered a five million naira ($3,050) reward in November 2022. Although Sububu narrowly escaped an airstrike in October 2022, his death is a major blow to criminal networks operating in the region.

Security sources said Sububu and his convoy, numbering about 60 fighters, were ambushed in Mayanchi, a village in Zurmi district. The fight continued into the early hours of Friday morning, resulting in the death of Sububu and most of his senior fighters.

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence had earlier stated that Sububu was wanted for his key role in the fight against banditry, pointing to the significance of this recent military success in the fight against organised crime.