Ailing bandits in Niger and Zamfara states are reportedly grappling with a disease outbreak that is compounding the already difficult conditions in their forest hideouts.
As reported by Daily Trust, sources familiar with the situation said the health crisis, alongside shortages of food, medicine, and funds, has disrupted the operations of the armed groups.
The worsening conditions in some camps, they added, have sparked internal pressures and weakened the bandits’ capacity to carry out attacks in certain communities.
A man who recently escaped captivity in Niger State, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the grim health scenario inside the kidnappers’ camp.
“Both captives and some members of the bandits were struggling with various illnesses,” he said, adding that the absence of medical care and essential drugs in the forest left many in critical condition.
The escapee noted that the current hardships in the camps present a window for security agencies to intensify operations against the groups.
“If authorities step up their efforts now, they stand a strong chance of further weakening the bandits, given the difficulties they are facing,” he said.
A security expert, Usman Bala Tsamiya Babba, corroborated the claims, noting that sustained military pressure and increased support from local communities have contributed to the bandits’ woes.
He stressed that disrupting supply lines for food, medicine, and cash could significantly cripple the groups’ activities.
“Cutting off their logistics channels could accelerate the collapse of their operations,” Babba said.