The Nigerian Army, in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), has recorded a major breakthrough in the fight against banditry in Niger State, neutralizing more than 50 armed criminals and rescuing kidnapped victims in a decisive joint operation.

The operation, which took place on Tuesday, August 26, in Kumbashi village, Mariga Local Government Area, is being hailed as one of the most successful security interventions in the state in recent times.

According to eyewitnesses, about 300 bandits armed with sophisticated weapons launched an attack on a DSS service asset camp in the area around 3 p.m. Security operatives, though heavily outnumbered, responded swiftly and engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle. The clash left over 50 bandits dead, while several others fled with gunshot wounds.

Seven kidnapped victims were rescued during the operation, alongside rustled cattle recovered from the criminals.

The Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdulmalik Mohammed Sarkin-Daji, praised the security agencies, describing the intervention as “a demonstration of superior intelligence, training, and firepower.”

“My constituents confirmed that the bandits, clearly shaken by the scale of their losses, were seen dismembering the corpses of their dead colleagues, loading them in sacks, and hauling them off on motorcycles,” the Speaker revealed.

Residents of Kumbashi also commended the bravery of the operatives, noting that despite being outnumbered nearly six to one, they held their ground and prevented what could have been a massacre.

The development follows a separate breakthrough in Wawa, Niger State, where DSS operatives recently captured alive Abubakar Abba, leader of Mahmuda — one of Nigeria’s most notorious terror groups.

Sarkin-Daji urged Niger residents to continue providing timely information to security forces while assuring that the State Assembly would back efforts to enhance security through legislative support.

The success in Kumbashi adds to a growing list of intelligence-led operations jointly executed by the DSS and the Nigerian military, underscoring the renewed momentum in dismantling terror and bandit networks across the country.