- Suspected Architect Of Kwara, Kogi Church Attacks K*lled In Joint Security Operation
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Notorious Bandit Leader Ibrahim Bastuji Feared Killed As Security Forces Foil Planned School Attack In Kogi
A notorious bandit kingpin, Ibrahim Bastuji, is feared to have been killed after security operatives reportedly ambushed him and his fighters while they were allegedly planning attacks on a school and residents of Iluke Bunu in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the operation was carried out on Wednesday by a joint security team comprising troops of the Nigerian Army, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), officers of the Nigeria Police Force, personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and members of the Kogi State Vigilante Service.
Security sources disclosed that scores of bandits were killed during the coordinated operation, while Bastuji was believed to have been among those neutralised.
According to intelligence reports cited by security sources, the operation was launched after the DSS uncovered an alleged plot by the bandit leader to abduct schoolchildren and residents in the area.
The sources said the planned kidnappings were intended to secure hostages that could be used to negotiate the release of some of his family members currently in security custody.
Bastuji had long been identified by security agencies as one of the most wanted bandit leaders operating across the North Central region.
Security sources linked him to the May 2026 attack on a church night vigil at Ori-Oke Ijaye in Kwara State, where three worshippers were killed and 15 others abducted.
He was also accused of masterminding the December 2025 attack on the First Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Ayetoro-Kiri, Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State. The attack reportedly left one worshipper dead while 20 others were kidnapped.
The suspected bandit leader was further linked to the November 2025 assault on a Christ Apostolic Church congregation in Eruku, during which two worshippers were killed and 38 others abducted.
Security sources also connected him to the abduction of 24 people, including four Chinese expatriates, in early 2025.
He was similarly accused of involvement in the April 2026 kidnapping of several civilians, including foreign nationals, in the Mapo area of Kogi State.
Authorities further alleged that Bastuji masterminded the January 2026 blockade of the Lokoja-Abuja Highway, an incident that resulted in the deaths of several commuters and the abduction of many others.
He was also blamed for an attack on a joint military and vigilante patrol team in Koton Karfe Local Government Area, which reportedly claimed the lives of three vigilante members and left several soldiers injured.
Originally from Katsina State, Bastuji was said to have begun his operations in Zamfara State alongside another notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Dan-Karami Gwaska, before expanding his activities into Niger, Kwara and Kogi states.
Under increasing pressure from security operations, he reportedly relocated his base to the Asawa Mountains in Kogi State, from where he allegedly coordinated kidnappings and other criminal activities across the Kogi-Kwara axis.
While security agencies are yet to issue an official statement on the operation, sources described the ambush as a major breakthrough in ongoing efforts to tackle banditry and kidnapping in the region.
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