Though, incidents of kidnapping have gone down in Kaduna State in the past five months, pockets of rural banditry and communal clashes still pose serious danger to lives and economy in some frontline local government areas. Assistant Editor, ‘DARE ODUFOWOKAN and ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE, report.
With pockets of rural banditry and communal clashes still posing serious danger to lives and economy in some frontline local government areas of Kaduna State, one major challenge many people within and outside the state expects the new governor, Senator Uba Sani to tackle headlong is the problem of insecurity in some communities across the state. This challenge is one that his predecessor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai battled till the very end of his administration.
At a point in his battle against insecurity, especially banditry, it was a somber el-Rufai that asked for help from the federal government. He called for the establishment of a theatre command similar to that of the Northeast, to tackle the security situation in the five states of the Northwest and Niger State bedeviled by banditry. According to him, the Kaduna state government had done all it can to address the situation with very little success.
“The Kaduna State government appeals to the Federal Government to create a Theatre Command similar to the situation in the Northeast to confront the insurgency that has clearly emerged in five states of the Northwest and Niger State with continuous and contiguous forest ranges. The creation of such a Theatre Command will enable holistic approach to counter-insurgent operations across the six affected states and the enhanced coordination of resources of the armed forces, the police, SSS, our respective state vigilance services, hunters and other local volunteers to fight the insurgents.
“The state has implemented several measures, including telecoms shutdown as recommended by security agencies to enable kinetic operations. We commend our people for the sacrifices they made during the shutdown. I want to reiterate that some of the measures like prohibition of sale of petroleum products, operation of weekly markets in selected areas, and use of motorcycles remain in place until we see clear progress in the fight against the terrorists,” the governor said, adding that the security of their communities depends on the robust projection of state power, and that such can only be done with sufficient security personnel to overawe and deter criminals,” the former governor said back then.
No doubt, the state has not enjoyed much in the area of security in the past few years. A report of the security challenges that faced the state compiled by the then Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, revealed that Kaduna state lost 1,192 residents to bandits attacks across the state in 2021, while 3,348 citizens were kidnapped that same year. According to the report, the worrisome figure represents an average of three residents daily in 2021. The report also shows that there is a 27.21 per cent increase in deaths, compared to 2020.
“Like the 2020 maiden edition, the report is a sobering reading because it is a factual account of a challenging situation. Its pages contain hard data, which reflect the pains inflicted on our people across the state by criminals and outlaws. The report also provides background and an update on the steps being taken by Kaduna State government to manage this serious challenge.
“In 2021, an average of nine persons were kidnapped daily across Kaduna, mostly in Kaduna Central senatorial district. There is also an escalation in the number of persons killed by a whopping 255 compared to those killed by banditry and criminality in 2020, in spite of our best efforts in supporting the Federal security agencies to bring an end to this phenomenon,” el-Rufai lamented in his remark on the report.
No respite
But it appears respite is still far away for some threatened communities in the state as bandits and other criminals continued their reign of terror long after Aruwan’s report. Last month, gunmen killed 27 people in an attack on Runji community, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of the state. The incident occurred on a Saturday at about 10pm when the gunmen invaded the community and opened fire on the villagers who were said to be asleep. Some of the victims were said to have been burnt beyond recognition as the bandits set their houses ablaze.
President of Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA), Dr. Samuel Ache, who condemned the attack, confirmed that 27 people were killed while several others sustained injuries. Though the local vigilance group in the community attempted to engage the invaders, they were overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the bandits. The intervention of the military taskforce was said to have saved the community from being wiped out by the killers.
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About two weeks earlier, bandits stormed Kimbi community of Randagi Ward in Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna State and attacked an immovable armoured vehicle belonging to the Mobile Police Force. A community leader in Kimbi village, Yahaya Kimbi, had confirmed the attack to journalists. He said the incident occurred when about eight bandits wielding AK47 rifles stormed Kimbi village.
“The attack happened early in the morning around 1:00am and in the process, the hoodlums burnt the vehicle to ashes. However, the bandits did not kill or kidnap anyone during the attack. I think their only target was to destroy the armoured vehicle,” he stated. It was gathered that many villagers have fled Kimbi for fear of another attack.
Some days before the attack on Kimbi village, suspected bandits attacked another community in Southern Kaduna, slaughtering many including a Reverend of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA). In the Kajuru attack which occured on the 23rd of March, many people were wounded and killed, including Rev Mairimi, whose wife was abducted by bandits. Many others were believed to have been abducted equally by the assailants when they left in the wee hours of the morning.
Around the same time, kidnappers abducted nine children and grandchildren of the Emir of Kagarko in Kaduna State, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar. Three other members of the community were also abducted by bandits while a herder was killed at Kuchimi village during the attack. This was few days after no fewer than 40 worshippers were kidnapped on a Sunday at Bege Baptist Church, Madala, Chikun Local Gvernment Area of Kaduna State by suspected bandits.
Consequently, Governor Sani has inherited the insecurity menace confronting the state and he is expected to end the sleepless nights of many residents of the state as soon as possible. Already, the new governor has said unlike some former governors in the troubled zone, he will not dine with terrorists so that he will be able to give the right treatment to criminals anywhere in the state and restore security of lives and properties during his reign as governor.
Sani, who did not mention names, claimed that some governors took an “extremely wrong” approach in managing the internal affairs of their states, leading to the current security challenges. “Some state governors decided to start engaging the bandits and the terrorists sitting with them, winning and dining with them, compensating them, negotiating with them,” he said, adding that the creation of state police is the only way to end Nigeria’s security challenges as it is necessary considering the limited powers governors have on security agencies.
He said, “Recall that I was the senator that actually sponsored the creation of state police in the National Assembly. We took the bill up to the level of conference committee when we were working toward amending constitution. Of course the Senate agreed and supported my bill for the creation of state police but we had conference committee with the House of Reps. Unfortunately, we lost it at that stage, but I believe there is no way we can resolve or solve the problem of insecurity without the creation of state police.”
More headaches
Other challenges that, the new Governor Uba Sani would be facing include inherited crises of market reforms, demolition of ‘illegal’ structures and the protracted Shi’ites/security personnel clashes. But none of the these is more daunting than the banditry that has crippled the economy of the agrarian rural communities of Birnin Gwari, Chikun, Igabi and Giwa local government areas, impoverished the people and sent many to early graves.
Equally disturbing is the age-long communal clashes between the indigenous people of Southern Kaduna and their Fulani neighbours, as well as the incessant and bloody farmer/herder clashes in the Southern Kaduna region. Just a few days ago, people of Birnin Gwari Uber the auspices of Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressive Union in their congratulatory letter to President t Bola Ahmed Tinubu raised the alarm that, bandits still rule in many communities of the Local Government Government Area,
Chairman of the Union, Ishaq Usman Kasai said, “it is disheartening to hear about the terrorist continuous infiltration and encirclement of the Birnin-Gwari general area, kidnapping and killing the peace loving people unchallenged. The terrorists as of today are advancing to finally take over the Birnin-Gwari capital if urgent necessary actions are not taken by authorities to arrest the situation.
“The insecurity situation in our area is a serious cause for concern, where Birnin-Gwari people are being kidnapped and killed by bandits daily. The economy of Birnin-Gwari which relies majorly on farming has been seriously crippled. Today, people could no longer access their farmlands due to insecurity. Most basic schools were closed and transportation halted affecting trading.
“Farming Communities are being sacked by bandits almost every day and people majorly women and children are becoming internally displaced on daily basis. Even today as I am writing this congratulatory message, the Community is on the other hand at grief because even on last Sunday night, Dadin Kowa village has been attacked and sacked by bandits on motorcycles wielding different kinds of riffles.
“Disturbingly, the armed bandits continue to impose levies on farming Communities in the area. Just this week, the bandits imposed N10 million levies on three farming Communities, namely; Sabon-Layi, Tashar Keji and Ruwan Rana where they give these communities grace of three days, which expires Tuesday 30/5/2023, to meet up this demand or be attacked. These have become the orders of the day. In fact, just three days ago, Birnin-Gwari capital was stormed by the bandits where people were abducted including teenage girls. Some school children in the Eastern part of Birnin-Gwari who were abducted on their way to schools are still in captivity for over hundred days now,” Kasai said.
Just 24 hours after the Emirate’s statement, Birnin-Gwari APC Women Leader, Hajiya Lami Awarware and her assistant, Hajiya Haulatu Aliyu among others were kidnapped on their way back to Birnin-Gwari from Kaduna, where they attended the inauguration of Governor Uba Sani. The two party women leaders were abducted at the notorious Manini flashpoint of Kaduna to Birnin-Gwari road and were still in captivity even as at Saturday.
A ready governor
Southern Kaduna issue is more complicated. The locals are accusing the military authority keeping peace in the area of complicity. Of recent Atyap Community Development Association called out the former Commander of Operation Safe Haven, Brig. General Timothy Opurum, accusing him of talking side with the Fulani community, whom the locals accuse of habouring criminals who come to attack their communities and kill at will.
The cheering news however is that, the man at the helms of affairs in Kaduna today, is not new to the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House (Kaduna Government House). Governor Uba Sani was the Political Adviser to the immediate past Governor Nasir El-Rufai during his first term between 2015 and 2019, before Sani proceeded to the National Assembly as Senator representing Kaduna Central in 2019.
The new Governor has equally demonstrated his knowledge of these challenges, as one of the first moves after assuming office as Governor last Monday was to convene a security council meeting on Wednesday, where he pledged logistics support to the federal security agencies in the state, to enable them rid Kaduna of all forms of crimes and criminalities.
The Governor at the meeting expressed concern and reiterated the fact that safety and security is a major plank of his administration’s 7-Point Agenda and urged Heads of Security Agencies to facilitate and or organize an all – inclusive security summit with a view to promoting community engagement and creation of public enlightenment on public safety and security.
On their part, the Heads of Security Agencies assured the Governor of their total commitment to the restoration of peace in troubled areas, particularly the 8 frontline Local Government Areas and beyond, while sustaining deployments across the state. The meeting received briefings on security challenges arising from banditry activities, kidnapping, communal disputes, phone snatching, looming threat of fuel shortages, and gang fight (sara suka).
