Banditry reached a new high in the country as a group of bandits carried out an alarming attack on the Kaduna International Airport, on March 26, sadly killing a security officer attached to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
Their motive was unclear, and they were said to have disrupted activities at the airport. Reports said they stopped a Lagos-bound aircraft from taking off on schedule.
The airport manager, Amina Salami, was reported saying they came from a nearby forest and had started shooting after they gained access to the facility. The sound of gunshots attracted soldiers who succeeded in repelling the invaders, she added.
By this daring attack, the bandits demonstrated that they deserved reclassification as terrorists in November 2021. Under pressure from sections of the public, including federal lawmakers, the Federal Government had responded to escalating insecurity in the country by proscribing “banditry groups,” and declaring their activities as “acts of terrorism and illegality.”
The Federal Government had stated: “These groups have engaged in attacks and wanton destruction of lives and properties in communities, kidnappings for ransom, kidnappings for marriage, mass abductions, cattle rustling, enslavement, imprisonment, severe deprivation of physical liberty, torture, rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, other forms of sexual violence, attacks on commuters, and wanton destruction of lives and properties.” Now, there is an addition to this list.
The security agents that countered the invasion should be commended. But it is clear that the security arrangement at the airport needs to be improved. Security presence should be strengthened to prevent a recurrence. It is intriguing that the invaders all got away. The invasion should be thoroughly investigated.
The security agencies should see this unprecedented attack as a dangerous sign that some bandits may be seeking new pastures, meaning that they could attack other airports in the country. Extra vigilance is necessary.
This incident calls for a renewed war against banditry. For instance, the A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets that the country bought from the US for the war against terrorism were expected to be used against bandits also after their reclassification as terrorists.
It is a new dimension to the country’s security crisis, and should be addressed urgently and decisively. Bandits, or terrorists, must not be allowed to begin to imagine that they can operate anywhere and anyhow they like. They must not be allowed to fly beyond the infamous level they have reached.