A commander in the bandit network led by notorious kingpin, Kachalla Maha has reportedly been captured alive in Katsina State, in what would be a significant breakthrough against a group linked to the abduction of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar.

According to reports, the commander, identified as Samagi, was apprehended by operatives of the Katsina Community Watch Corps during ongoing operations targeting the network, along with another associate. A video of the arrest has been circulating on social media, though authorities have yet to issue an official statement confirming the capture or the suspect’s identity.

Kachalla Maha, whose real name is Muhammadu, is believed to hail from Matazu Local Government Area and was previously among bandit leaders who accepted a peace deal brokered by the state government. He reportedly returned to armed activity after a dispute over the arrest of his associates and the seizure of cattle during a security operation. His group has been linked to the May 30 abduction of Major General Abubakar, a former Director of Defence Information, and his wife along the Marabar Musawa to Kafinsoli road in Matazu, near Zakin Baure village.

The retired general later died in captivity. In a statement on June 13, the Katsina State Government confirmed his death and said he died of complications from diabetes and hypertension, after what it described as sustained efforts by the state and security agencies to secure his release. His abductors had demanded the release of three detained associates and the return of seized livestock as conditions for freeing the couple.

The reported capture follows the arrest of another suspected associate of the same network by the Community Watch Corps in June, who was said to have confessed to taking part in attacks and cattle rustling under Kachalla Maha’s command. The Corps, a state-backed local security outfit, has been at the forefront of recent operations against armed groups in the state, including a raid in Bakori in July in which the state government said more than 40 bandits were killed.