Daudawal: Killed by rivals in banditry

Richard Elesho/ Lokoja

‘Those who live by the sword die by the sword’, goes a popular saying.  That turned out to be story of Auwal Daudawal, a bandit leader that returned to his vomit after he presumably turned a new leaf.

His notoriety as a criminal and one of the leaders of deadly leaders of bandits that have been dishing out sorrows to the people of Northwest became known after he organised the abduction of 300 students from Government Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State.

Daudawal was reportedly killed Friday night just four days after he returned to the underworld.

He was leading a revenge mission in the heart of Dumburum forest, a vast jungle stretched between Zurmi Local Government in Zamfara State and Batsari LG of Katsina State, when a rival’s bullet brought him down.

Two months after his despicable role in Kankara, the bandit appeared in Gusau, capital of Zamfara, along with five of his men where he announced his repentance and handed over 20 AK-rifles and other weapons to the police.

He thereafter became a beneficiary of the state’s amnesty program.

On Thursday, Daily Trust exclusively reported Daudawa’s return to the trenches after he vacated his new abode in Damba, the outskirts of Gusau.

It was gathered  that Daudawa was killed while leading his men on a revenge attack on boys loyal to another bandit called Ballolo.

It was gathered that while Daudawa was in Gusau following his repentance, some armed members of the Ballolo camp attacked the position of his men in an attempt to rustle their cattle, killing two of Daudawa’s gang members in the process.

Daudawa was said to have vowed to retaliate.

A source told Daily Trust that while Daudawa’s gang succeeded in killing some persons in the opposing gang, their leader was gunned down by Ballolo’s boys.

Confirming the story to Daily Trust, Zamfara Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, Abubakar Dauran, said Daudawa was killed after he murdered somebody and rustled his cattle.

“After he swore by the Qur’an never to go back to his old ways, we heard that he went back under the guise of going to attend wedding of his relatives but he instead resumed his illegal activities.

“We heard that he killed someone and attempted to rustle his cattle, but the other people in the forest rose up to him and killed him in the process,” he said.

Insecurity has become a major issue in almost every part of the country for sometime.