Troops of 12 Brigade Nigerian Army are tightening control across Kogi State in North-Central Nigeria, dismantling bandit networks and restoring calm in troubled areas under Operation EGWUA A TITE II.

The operation, launched on 1 September 2025, has already claimed the lives of key commanders, destroyed camps, and reunited rescued victims with their families.

According to a statement by the Acting Assistant Director Army Public Relations, 12 Brigade Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Hassan Abdullahi, “troops of 126 Battalion engaged bandits in a firefight at Tunga axis, neutralising two fighters.”

Commander 12 Brigade and Force Commander Operation Accord III, Brigadier General Kasim Umar Sidi, personally led follow-on missions that destroyed several hideouts.

“Troops dominated the area with patrols and ambushes, ensuring no breathing space for the enemy,” the Army noted.

On 2 September, troops with close air support from 405 Helicopter Combat Training Group launched strikes on Ankomi, neutralising scores. By 3 September, clearance operations in Aleke, Ungwan Soni, and Ungwan Nyaba freed a kidnapped father and two children.

Momentum peaked on 5 September when intelligence confirmed the death of Kachalla Bala, a notorious bandit commander, alongside five fighters near Tunga. On the same day, troops ambushed couriers at Agbede–Adankoo Bridge, recovering a motorcycle, two phones, and an AK-47 magazine.

Five locally made dane guns were also seized during the sweep. The Army stressed that operations would continue until banditry and allied crimes are rooted out of Kogi and surrounding states.

The Nigerian Army launched Operation Accord III to coordinate joint actions across troubled zones, while Operation EGWUA A TITE II specifically targets the Kogi axis. (VON)