Suspected armed bandits loyal to notorious kingpin Ado Aleiro have reportedly appointed a new field commander following the death of Kachalla Iliya Mai Rasha, while imposing a N200,000 levy on villages in parts of Zamfara State to finance the purchase of weapons.
The development was disclosed in a security update by counter insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama, who said the move was part of efforts by the criminal group to restructure its operations after sustained military offensives against bandit strongholds across the North West.
According to the report, although the identity of the newly appointed commander has yet to be made public, emissaries of the gang have begun demanding N200,000 from each community in the western axis of Tsafe Local Government Area.
Makama stated that the levy is expected to generate about N25 million, which the group allegedly plans to channel into the procurement of additional arms and ammunition.
The report further claimed that no fewer than 10 bandit commanders, popularly known as Kachallas, were buried in Kizara village, west of Tsafe, after recent military operations, while several others reportedly sustained varying degrees of injury.
Residents familiar with the activities of the armed groups were also quoted as saying that the bandits had complained of increasing difficulty in rustling livestock within Zamfara due to sustained security operations.
According to the report, some bandits allegedly told their local collaborators that they now travel farther into remote locations in search of cattle, claiming that repeated military operations and persistent cattle rustling have significantly reduced the number of livestock available within the state.
The claims by residents, however, could not be independently verified.
Makama added that security sources were monitoring reports of the group’s new leadership structure and the alleged collection of levies from rural communities as part of ongoing intelligence efforts aimed at disrupting the gang’s logistics and financial network.
The report also noted that recent operations under Operation FANSAN YAMMA have intensified pressure on armed groups operating across Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto states, leading to the reported elimination of several notorious bandit commanders and the destruction of their operational bases.