‘Bandit kingpin’ killed as rival gangs clash in Kaduna forest

Dogo Isah, a notorious bandit leader, has reportedly been killed during a violent clash with a rival faction in Kaduna state.

Isah, “infamous for leading high-profile attacks and terrorising residents in Kachia and parts of Kajuru LGA“, was said to have been involved in a confrontation over cattle rustling in Kachia forest on January 7.

He was a cousin to Tukur Sharme, another bandit leader killed in a similar fratricidal clash in September 2024.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication covering the Lake Chad region, reported that Isah and his gang attempted to rustle cattle from a camp led by Kachalla Musa, a repentant bandit leader, which led to the confrontation.

Isah died alongside two of his gang members during the gun battle that ensued.

Musa and his faction had recently embraced a peace initiative from the Kaduna state government and security agencies, following a meeting with stakeholders in Tsohon Gaya village, Chikun LGA.

“The initiative, which encourages former bandits to surrender and cease hostilities, had been extended to Dogo Isah, but he rejected the offer and continued his criminal activities, including cattle rustling and violent attacks,” the report noted.

“Dogo Isah’s group has been responsible for several high-profile attacks in the region, including the deaths of members of the 305 Artillery Demo Regiment in Makaranta Forest, Kagarko LGA, and an officer of the defunct Sect 4 OPWP near Gadan Mallam village along the Abuja-Kaduna road in 2022.

“More recently, Dogo Isah’s group attacked Nigerian Navy personnel at a checkpoint in Kujama on January 5, 2025, resulting in the deaths of two Navy personnel and the theft of their AK-47 rifles.”

Makama warned that while Isah’s death may be seen as “a setback to banditry in Kaduna state, it has heightened fears among the recently repentant members of Kachalla Musa’s group”.

The report added that Isah’s followers are now apprehensive and may be plotting a reprisal.