In a dramatic turn of events, 21-year-old notorious bandit leader, Salisu Mohammed, alias Dogo Saleh, met a gruesome end—not at the hands of security forces, but at the hands of his own gang members. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command arrested the feared bandit, only for his criminal allies to turn on him during a botched rescue attempt.
Dogo Saleh, a ruthless hitman for criminal gangs terrorizing Kaduna and its surrounding regions, had been linked to multiple kidnappings and high-profile assassinations. He was responsible for abducting the family of a police officer and orchestrating the killings of two security operatives in an attack on Kujama Market, Kaduna, earlier this year.
According to the FCT Police Command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, Saleh was intercepted on March 3 in Gidan Abe Forest while traveling to Bwari Area Council, FCT. His arrest led to a major police operation in Kaduna’s Kwasau Forest, where his gang, led by one *Abdu Musa*, alias *Kanabaro*, had established a fortified hideout.
However, when the police launched the follow-up raid on March 4, they walked into a deadly ambush. In a shocking twist, the gang members—rather than successfully rescuing their leader—turned their guns on him in the crossfire.
“The operatives swiftly engaged the criminals in a fierce gun battle, displaying superior tactical expertise and resilience. The bandits were ultimately overpowered and forced to flee into the forest with severe gunshot wounds. The suspect sustained fatal gunshot wounds inflicted by his own gang during the crossfire. He was rushed to Kubwa General Hospital, where he was confirmed dead,” Adeh revealed.
The revelation that his own allies executed him has sparked speculation about infighting within Nigeria’s criminal underworld. Sources suggest that Saleh’s gang may have deliberately eliminated him to avoid law enforcement scrutiny or as punishment for leading security forces to their doorstep.
Saleh’s death marks the end of a bloody reign, but questions linger: Was this truly an accidental crossfire, or was the young warlord deliberately set up by his own men?
