Niger arrests suspected gang leader wanted in Nigeria

NIAMEY - A Nigerian "bandit" leader wanted for the kidnapping and murder of civilians has been arrested along with 65 of his men in southern Niger, local authorities announced.

The border between Nigeria and Niger has for more than a decade been a hideout for armed groups known locally as bandits who abduct civilians for ransom and rustle cattle.

"After several days of tailing (him), the men of our anti-terrorist operation finally caught the infamous (Kachalla) Baleri and some of his men," regional governor Issoufou Mamane told public television late Wednesday.

Broadcasting footage of several dozen handcuffed and masked men sitting on the ground, the channel said they had been arrested during the day "in the middle of a meeting to plan attacks against the positions of the defence and security forces".

The Maradi region governor said Baleri, from Nigeria's Zamfara state, was number 40 on the Nigerian army's most wanted list.

According to public television, Baleri had taken part in "several bloody attacks in Nigeria", as well as a February 22 assault that left four Niger soldiers dead from the anti-terrorist unit that had captured him on Wednesday.

"They are rapists, thieves, cattle rustlers and unscrupulous killers," said Maradi high court prosecutor Adam Adamou.

The armed forces of both countries have carried out joint operations to try to halt the violence.

The regional governor accused Nigeria of withdrawing its security forces and abandoning the border "zone to armed bandits who lay down the law" and stage incursions into Niger.