Obviously the 2nd Mafia war in Sicily in the early 80s was a slaughter of the Palermitan families by the Corleonesi. Buscetta and a few others turned states witness against the Corleonesi but we're any of Riinas allies or associates ever gunned down by the Palermitan families at that time? There seems to be no evidence of the Palermitan even getting a shot off at any of them.
Everything can be said about Riina except that she didn't know how to organize a massacre.
For years he saw who was loyal to him and who was with the "old cosche", he created an army and amassed weapons.
So when Bontade and the others thought they could kill him he unleashed hell, anyone who didn't side with him was killed and if he ran away his relatives were killed. Nobody had the power to try to defence and even Contorno that fled Sicily to find money and weapon for kill Riina understood that if the Bontade loyalists was killed,the other mobsters switched sides and even try to kill a Corleoneses is a suicide,the only way to damage Riina was to cooperate with the State! And use the Italian State for his revenge.
