A coordinated operation by Nigerian security agencies has led to the elimination of notorious bandit kingpin, Ibrahim Bastuji, in what has been described as a major breakthrough in ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating across the North-Central region.
The operation, carried out on Wednesday by a joint team comprising troops of the Nigerian Army, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), officers of the Nigeria Police Force, and personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), with support from Kogi State vigilantes, successfully ambushed Bastuji and members of his gang as they allegedly prepared to launch an attack on a school and residents of Iluke Bunu in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Security sources said scores of the armed bandits were neutralised during the operation, with Bastuji believed to have been among those killed.
The sources disclosed that the successful operation was the product of sustained intelligence gathering and enhanced inter-agency collaboration, following credible intelligence that the gang was plotting to abduct schoolchildren to use as bargaining chips for the release of some of Bastuji’s family members currently in security custody. The operation is understood to be part of the broader intelligence-led security architecture that has strengthened coordination among security and intelligence agencies under the strategic oversight of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
Bastuji had long been identified by security agencies as one of the most dangerous criminal elements operating across the Kogi-Kwara-Niger axis, with links to several high-profile attacks, mass abductions, and killings.
He is believed to have masterminded the May 2026 invasion of a church night vigil at Ori-Oke Ijaye in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, where three worshippers were killed and 15 others abducted. Security records further implicate him in the November 18, 2025 attack on a Christ Apostolic Church congregation in ErukuBunu LGA of Kogi State, during which one worshipper was killed and 20 others kidnapped.
He is further implicated in the November 18, 2025 attack on a Christ Apostolic Church congregation in Eruku, Ekiti State, which claimed the lives of two worshippers and resulted in the abduction of 38 others. In early 2025, he was reportedly behind the kidnapping of 24 persons, including four Chinese expatriates.
Bastuji was equally linked to the April 2026 abduction of several civilians, including foreign nationals, in the Mapo area of Kogi State, as well as the January 2026 midnight blockade of the Lokoja-Abuja Highway, during which multiple commuters were killed and several others abducted. He was also believed to have coordinated the attack on a joint military and vigilante patrol in Koton Karfe Local Government Area of Kogi State that claimed the lives of three vigilante operatives and left a number of troops injured.
Originally from Katsina State, Bastuji reportedly began his criminal career in Zamfara State, where he operated alongside the notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Dan-Karami Gwaska, before expanding his network into Niger and Kwara States.
However, sustained military operations and persistent pressure from security agencies forced him to relocate his base to the Asawa Mountains in Kogi State, near Koton Karfe, from where he continued to direct kidnappings, raids, and other violent criminal activities across the Kogi-Kwara corridor.
Security analysts believe the operation represents another indication of the growing effectiveness of intelligence-driven security operations and the increasing synergy among the country’s security and intelligence agencies in confronting organised criminal groups.
Reacting to the development, a community leader, Bello Abdullahi, described Bastuji’s elimination as a significant victory in the campaign against banditry and kidnapping.
“The elimination of Ibrahim Bastuji marks a significant milestone in the sustained effort to restore peace and security across the Kogi-Kwara axis and the broader North-Central region. His death effectively decapitates a criminal network responsible for years of terror, mass abductions, and the killing of innocent worshippers, security personnel, and civilians,” he said.
Residents and local stakeholders expressed optimism that the operation would further degrade the operational capacity of criminal gangs in the region and reinforce ongoing efforts by security agencies to restore lasting peace and public confidence.
