A notorious bandit leader involved in numerous attacks in Kaduna State, Kachalla Isah has been reportedly killed following a violent clash with a rival faction in Kachia Forest on January 7, 2025.
Isah, who had a notorious reputation for terrorising residents of Kachia and parts of Kajuru Local Government Areas (LGAs), was the cousin of Tukur Sharme, another bandit leader killed in a similar fratricidal clash in September 2024.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that Isah and his gang attempted to rustle cattle from a camp led by a repentant bandit leader, Kachalla Musa when the deadly confrontation ensued.
The clash that led to Isah’s and two of his gang members being killed during the exchange of gunfire with Musa’s group.
Musa and his faction had recently embraced the peace initiative offered by the government and security agencies in Kaduna State, following a meeting with stakeholders in Tsohon Gaya village in Chikun LGA.
The initiative, which encouraged former bandits to surrender and cease hostilities, had been extended to Dogo Isah, but he rejected the offer and continued his criminal activities, including cattle rustling and violent attacks.
Isah’s group had been responsible for several high profile attacks in the region, including the deaths of members of the 305 Artillery Demo Regiment in Makaranta Forest, Kagarko LGA, and an officer of the defunct Sect 4 OPWP near Gadan Mallam village along the Abuja-Kaduna road in 2022.
Recently, Isah’s group attacked Nigerian Navy personnel at a checkpoint in Kujama on January 5, 2025, resulting in the deaths of two Navy personnel and the theft of their AK-47 rifles.
While Isah’s death is seen as a significant blow to insurgent activities in Kaduna State, it has raised concerns among the recently repentant members of Musa’s group.
There is apprehension that Isah’s remaining followers might seek to retaliate, potentially destabilising the fragile peace in the region.
©Zagazola Makama
