As a map of success in what the Nigerian military is doing, working together as a team of the land forces, the naval, and the air forces, one of the latest features in the campaign is the elimination of the notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Na Faranshi, along with several of his fighters during an aggressive raid in the forests of Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
General Christopher Gwabin Musa, Chief of Defence Staff disclosed this at the closing ceremony of the CDS Joint Task Force Commanders Conference 2025 in Abuja.
Kachalla Na Faranshi was known for smuggling illicit firearms from Mali and Niger, supplying weapons to various armed groups operating in Nigeria’s northwestern forests.
He had links with terrorist groups operating in Mali and was previously an ally of the notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, before establishing his own criminal network.
General Musa noted that another virtue of the clearing of sandy blocks fortress at Tungafalani Hills in notorious Haidav, the house south, has a strategic base for banditry in the area.
Explaining how Kachalla Na Faranshi was killed, General Musa said security operations backed by the air component of the Nigerian Air Force, tore the location, destroyed the camp, and burned down sandy blocks house, forcing him to flee. In a follow-up operation, troops advance into Tungfa and Mashima villages, for dislodging groups and pushing them deeper into the forests. In a symbolic strike against banditry, security forces also return to the once-cleared area of Bello Turji.
He stressed that the remaining portions of his camp previously targeted in past offensives were obliterated in a final suit to erase his presence from the region. Reports indicate that both troops and sandy blocks are now in this area, desperately seeking escape routes as the pressure amounts. The ongoing offensive drop operation showed no missing.
"Signals issued in the government's approach to tackling banditry in Zamfara and whether or not to us. When insurgents, safe and havens, are systematically dismantled, security forces have sent a strong message to all armed groups in the country. The era of impunity is over.
"For years, bandits, terrorists, and criminals have exploited the difficulty ring within our country, creating well-fortified hideouts and lodging deadly raids on communities. However, with the current operations gaining momentum, the tide appears to be torn in. As troops tighten, the urban air assets continue to position strikes.
"The walls are closing in on those who have terrorized innocent civilians. Special forces, both from the land forces, the maritime and the air, are working assiduously to ensure that we secure the entire nation," he stated
The military has continued to intensify operations in Zamfara and neineighbouringates to curb banditry and ensure peace in the entire Northwestern region.