Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), supported by the Nigerian military, have neutralised 45 bandits during a covert operation near Kuchi town, in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State.
The precision-based offensive was launched in the early hours of Monday, June 2, 2025, following intelligence that armed groups, numbering around 100, were advancing toward Kuchi from Kaduna and Zamfara States.
The bandits, heavily armed and allegedly linked to notorious kingpin Dogo Gide, had reportedly mobilized from Bilbis Forest in Maru LGA of Zamfara State, with plans to attack several villages in the area. The operation was designed to intercept the attackers before they could launch a coordinated strike.
“In the early hours of Monday, 2nd June 2025, bandits from Kaduna and Zamfara States, numbering about 100, heavily armed with sophisticated weapons, advanced towards Kuchi town in Munya LGA,” a security source confirmed.
Acting swiftly, DSS operatives, in conjunction with military forces, launched a surprise ambush, intercepting the militants on the outskirts of Kuchi.
A fierce gun battle reportedly ensued, resulting in the elimination of 45 bandits, with several others injured. Multiple motorcycles and high-calibre weapons were recovered from the scene.
Reports indicate that five DSS operatives sustained serious injuries and are currently receiving medical treatment.
“This ambush, which is a part of sustained offensives against the bandits, followed the earlier decimation of over 50 bandits and has dealt a heavy blow to Dogo Gide, who in the past months has been losing huge territories to the superior firepower and covert disruptions by operatives deployed to these troubled spots,” the source said.
“Serious heat has been turned on them, and we hope they will be sustained. We pray that these efforts, by the SSS that appear quite new and aimed at saving our communities from the bandits, will continue,” the source added.
