A notorious bandit leader operating around the Dansadau axis of the vast Kuyambana Forest, Ali Kachalla, has been held responsible for the recent shooting down of a Nigeria Air Force Alpha Jet.
According to sources, the terror kingpin downed the jet through the use of heavy artillery power on June 18.
The news platform further reported that Ali Kachalla, a shrewd terrorist with a hideout in Kuyambana was the mastermind of the monumental operation.
Kachalla, originally a chieftaincy title in the Kanuri language, is widely used as an honorific for bandits’ leaders in the North-West.
Recall that a fighter jet was shot down by men of Kachalla’s gang near Kabaru village, located some 15 km west of Dansadau town.
The spokesman for the NAF, Edward Gabkwet, while reacting to the incident noted that the aircraft was attacked while returning from an air interdiction mission between the boundaries of Zamfara and Kaduna States.
The NAF, however, did not release the picture of the aircraft but released pictures of the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo, who successfully ejected from the aircraft.
A further report had it that shooting down the NAF jet might be Kachalla’s most daring exploit yet, but residents of the affected communities disclosed that his name has been on their lips especially in recent times.
He has carried out series of brutal attacks on communities in the district and is known to take a special interest in ambushing military personnel.