Rival gangs kill two bandit kingpins in Zamfara ambush
By: Zagazola Makama
Two notorious bandit kingpins, Kachalla Mai Hidima and Kachalla Bingil, have been killed in a violent ambush by rival gangs in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Zagazola Makama learnt that the incident occurred along the Mai Kogo–Mai Aya Aya axis, within the Dansadau district of Maru.
The sources said the ambush was staged by unidentified assailants, who opened fire on the kingpins and their men, killing them instantly.
“Kachalla Mai Hidima and Kachalla Bingil were caught in the ambush while moving between villages. Their deaths are believed to be linked to long-standing rivalries among bandit factions operating in the Dansadau forest,” one source explained.
Kachalla Mai Hidima, who once served under the notorious bandit leader Dogo Gide, later broke away to establish his own criminal cell. He was said to have established a major base east of Gidan Fulani Mai Kudi, near Hannu Tara in Dansadau.
The killing of the two kingpins illustrates the deepening fractures within bandit networks in Zamfara, as competing groups battle for control of territory, hostages, and illicit revenue streams such as cattle rustling and illegal levies on farming communities.
“This is part of a larger trend of internal conflicts among bandits, especially in Maru, Anka, and Shinkafi, where pressure from military operations has disrupted old alliances,” another source observed.
The Dansadau axis of Maru LGA has remained one of the most volatile hotspots in Zamfara’s banditry crisis, serving as a strategic stronghold for several armed groups over the past decade.
