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Tag: banditry

  • Banditry: We’ll not concede any community to attackers, says Tambuwal

    Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has urged security agencies to effectively reinforce against bandits attacks in parts of the state, vowing not to concede any community to the attackers.

    He particularly mentioned Isa, Sabon Birni, Kebbe and Gudu local government areas, where banditry attacks have been alarming in recent times.

    “We shall reinforce security within our power in those areas such that residents would be adequately protected,” the governor said.

    Tambuwal, who made spoke in Sokoto after a special emergency security meeting with heads of security agencies, including National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) expressed concern on the ravaging attacks on innocent villagers by bandits in those areas.

    “It is sad and disturbing on the rising security problems, which have characterised the peaceful nature of the state due to activities of banditry in Isa, Sabon Birni, Gudu and Kebbe, which has led to the loss of life of the District Head of Balle, Gudu Local Government Area.

    “This informed our decision to hold a special emergency security meeting to review the entire security situation in the state, assess and make efforts to stamp out all heinous bandits activities around the state, especially in the border community axis,” he said.

    The governor, who just returned from performing the lesser hajj, said: “The state government in collaboration with all security agencies and patriotic people of the state will do everything humanly possible to tame the trend of banditry and other disturbing crimes claiming the lives of the people.

    “We must all be vigilant and rise against the dastardly activities. If you think because you are not bordering Zamfara State, where the activities of bandits grossly thrive, it’s a mistake as it affects us all as neighbouring states. We need to strategically liaise with security agencies to reverse.

    “The state government is ready to sacrifice by giving all the necessary support to ensure measures are taken to restore security, confidence and peace in the state,” he stated.

    In the same vein, Tambuwal reminded people of the state that the presidential ban on the use of motorcycles in areas where banditry activities were perpetrated remained.

    “Whoever is arrested violating the directive would have himself to blame. Therefore, I am calling on parents and motorcycle users to abide by the directive by ensuring total compliance,” Tambuwal said.

    The governor appealed to those in border communities, who had fled to the neighbouring Niger Republic as a result of banditry attacks, to please return home.

    He assured them of their security and safety of property.

    “I will personally take a trip to Niger Republic and talk to them to return home”,” he said.

  • Banditry: NAF inaugurates 271 detachment

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) yesterday inaugurated a 271 detachment in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, as part of efforts to tackle security challenges in the country.

    The detachment was established as a blocking force for troops involved in Operation DIRAN MIKIYA and SHARAN DAJI.

    Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State said the establishment of 271 NAF detachments in Birnin Gwari and instituting the necessary infrastructure was to ensure that Nigeria could meet and conquer many security challenges it was currently facing.

    “I have no doubt that your efforts will continue to keep our country safe and our economy growing,” El-Rufai said.

    According to him, the prevalence of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping has increased in recent times.

    “And we are grateful that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, particularly the NAF, is boosting security operations and developing even more effective strategies to end this menace.

    “The establishment of the 271 NAF Detachment in Birnin Gwari is therefore timely, as it will further boost the ongoing Operation DIRAN MIKIYA, Operation SHARAN DAJI and play a very crucial role in restoring and maintaining the peace in all affected areas.

    The Governor expressed appreciation of the Kaduna State Government for the support NAF extended to the state to acquire UAV-Drones.

    “The Chief of Air Staff may recall that it was the NAF that applied for the end user certificate that made it possible for the state government to acquire the drones.

    “The drones were inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari, on the Feb. 27, but they are not fully operational due to the necessary clearance that is required by the security agencies, of which the Air Force is central.

    “We are hereby requesting the Chief of Air Staff to intervene in this matter,” he said.

    “While we recognise the efforts of the NAF we also want to appeal to the Chief of Air Staff to approve the deployment of NAF Special Forces for the Abuja-Kaduna road to participate in the new Joint security operations aimed at confronting the prevalence of banditry and kidnapping that have bedevilled the road for the last two years now.

    “To all our brave Air Force officers, I assure you that the nation sees your selfless sacrifice and appreciates your many efforts of providing peace and security in our communities.

    “Your efforts and sacrifice will not be in vain,’’ El-Rufai said.

    The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar, said NAF for some time now had been involved in various internal security operations in the country, either singularly or in conjunction with sister  security agencies.

    Abubakar said one of such operations was Operation DIRAN MIKIYA, which was intended to neutralise and flush out bandits and kidnappers as well as cattle rustlers operating in the North-West.

    “Accordingly, the 271 NAF Detachments was established as a blocking force for troops involved in Operation DIRAN MIKIYA and SHARAN DAJI.

    “The Air Chief NAF is committed to seeing that the territorial integrity of our dear country is preserved as this is the only country we can call our own.

    “It is our desire, therefore, to ensure that the menace of terrorism, kidnapping, cattle rustling and armed banditry are curtailed, if not completely eradicated.

    “Today, in a short while we shall witness the inauguration of 271 NAF Detachment Birnin Gwari as a testimony of the NAF commitment to the fight against insurgency and banditry in Nigeria,’’ he said.

    He added that the establishment of 271 NAF Detachment Birnin Gwari would not have been possible without the full support of the President.

    “May I also recognise the immense contribution of the National Assembly, especially its committees on Defence and Air Force in both the Senate and House of Representatives respectively,” he said.

    Abubakar reassured Nigerians of the firm dedication of the NAF to the fight terrorism and all forms of criminality in the nation.

    The Air Officer Commanding Special Operations Command, AVM Napoleon Bali, said “ today’s event is a clear demonstration of the Air Chief’s priority and vision to adequately motivate personnel through training and provision of an enabling environment to facilitate effective and optimum professional performance,” Bali said.

    He assured the Air Chief of their dedication to align with his vision and commitment toward ensuring that insurgency and banditry were totally defeated in the state and the country.

  • Zamfara, banditry and Nigeria

    NIGERIAN leaders may be reluctant to agree that the country is really at war. The fact, however, is that the turmoil all over the country is an indication of a low-intensity war that does not conduce to sustained or substantial development. The turbulence in Zamfara, which the government and the media have nicknamed banditry, suggests that no part of the country will be spared the debilitating consequences of poverty and poor leadership. How has the country approached the Zamfara quagmire that is unsettling the Northwest of Nigeria? The answer may be gleaned from how the country has approached the Boko Haram insurgency that has disrupted life and economic activities in the Northeast. The government has grudgingly acknowledged that poverty is a factor in the revolts, but by emphasising law enforcement and military pacification of the restive areas, it is suggesting that the socio-economic underpinnings of the crises are not quite as crucial in restoring peace as scaling up the military response.

    After more than 17 years of insurgency in the Northeast, the epicentre of the Boko Haram revolt has still not witnessed the restoration of peace and development. Indeed, scarce resources, when they can be eked out of unrealistic budgetary allocations, are devoted principally to the rebuilding of devastated communities and the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons. Yet, the country has had a poor record of rebuilding devastated areas, rehabilitating affected persons, and restoring peace, not to talk of addressing the root causes of the problem.

    The Northeast template is, sadly, being uncritically replicated to tackle the budding Northwest crisis. But the template will bring only temporary relief. What is clearly amiss is not so much the problem of poverty or dwindling resources and their consequences, but the extreme poverty of leadership and the stubborn determination of leaders for escapism. Until the government addresses the root causes of these problems, they will merely be tilting at windmills. The country’s political structure is too weak and archaic to bear the weight of the people. That structure must be addressed, or the country will be in danger of imploding.

  • A season of ‘banditry’

    For nearly a decade, the intensity of the Boko Haram insurgency has surged and waned in Northeast, between periods of keen military action and times of almost criminal negligence by the government. Also, in the last five years, the long suppressed threat of conflict between farming communities and cattle herdsmen took a deadly turn nationwide, and the terror of ‘killer herdsmen’ swept across Nigeria. Now, while the country is reeling from the damage to nationhood and livelihood that these two evils have brought, there is yet another scourge of terror tearing through Northwest. This time, the perpetrators have been labelled “bandits”.

    In the Northwest, particularly in Zamfara State, there have been gun-toting marauders wreaking havoc on communities for unclear reasons. There is no single or clear agenda to their madness. It is reported that over 100 lives were lost to the rampage of the so-called bandits in Zamfara in 2018. For instance, on December 19, 2018, suspected bandits attacked three separate communities in BirninMagaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing at least 25 people.  The turn of the year saw the situation deteriorate further, with the attacks seemingly taking on fresh fervour, necessitating a revamped military and security campaign against the bandits.

    As the military offensive intensified, it is believed that some of the bandits fled to other north-western states like Sokoto and Katsina, where they have been engaged in mindless attacks and kidnapping. In February, it was reported that members of a vigilante group lost their lives in open confrontation with the bandits in Raba Local Government Area of Sokoto State, after a round of attacks by the bandits. According to media reports, the police spokesperson asked people in the affected areas to “keep their fingers crossed” as the police is doing all it can.

    Having endured many months of seeming ‘occupation’ by the so-called bandits and the inadequate security response by the government, the people of Zamfara were at their wits end on Tuesday, April 2, when members of what is called the Civilian Joint Task Force from a community in KauraNamoda Local Government Area of the state marched into the forest hideout of the bandits to engage the bandits. According to the Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, over 50 persons were killed in that clash. The desperate assault by the civilians caused the military to step up their efforts, through air raids and ground assaults that have caused the bandits to abandon their hideouts and mix with the civilian population.

    After the military raids, the people cried out through media reports that the bandits had abandoned their hideouts and were walking about with arms in broad day light amongst the ordinary people, with the alleged help of some civilian collaborators. It seems like a change in strategy, to prevent air raids by blending in with the local population. The confidence of the bandits is indicative of a region now saturated with arms of all kinds, for civilian vigilantes and the so-called bandits alike. Meanwhile, on April 9, some of the suspected  bandits that had fled to Katsina razed buildings and killed indiscriminately in Sabuwa and Batsari local Government Areas of the state, causing Mohammed Adamu, Acting-Inspector General of Police, IGP, to visit the areas.

    In this sordid tale of mayhem and carnage that stretches all the way to Kaduna, and also with the kidnappings on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway and elsewhere in the country, there seems to be a real security crisis on our hands, and one could have made this statement at any time in the past 10 years in Nigeria. The country appears to be in a bubble of insecurity that seems resistant to all remedies. Not even the tears of governors and senators from the northeast and northwest have inspired any enduring solution. Benue and Taraba are still hot from continued communal clashes after the violence was likely momentarily diverted into election conflict. Just last Sunday, there were beheadings on the streets of Ajah, in Lagos State. Nigerians no more feel safe.

    While the military is doing its bit with the resources it has in fighting the bandits, it faces strong criticism and near opposition by some traditional rulers in the Northwest. The native leaders claim that air-force jets are bombing innocent people, while the military has hinted on the involvement of some traditional rulers with the bandits. This difference of opinion could have been settled by evidence garnered from good intelligence gathering, but like in our other internal  ‘wars’ against terror, there is a serious lack in that department.

    The menace of the bandits has also brought to light, the threat posed by the seemingly underground mining and trade in precious stones that are going on in the Northwest. This dimension is already causing ripples nationally. It is thought by some that the banditry is not unrelated to the activities of illegal miners who had armed themselves in an increasingly dangerous trade in that region. Others think that the banditry has little or nothing to do with the mining activities. That there are many desperate men with guns is unfortunately, a real and present danger, in any case.

    The saturation of arms in the country generally has been linked to many things, some tracing the origins as far back as the civil war. A more current source has been traced, by analysts, to the activities of politicians who procure arms to distribute to local thugs as part of preparation for elections. With the excess of guns and desperate men for hire in the fallout of conflict in Libya and other places, and with our porous borders, anyone with sinister plans has little difficulty in smuggling arms into the country. The problem may begin there, but continues when the “principals” of the now armed thugs have achieved their aim. The guns and the men remain, left to their own devices.

    The security issues bring to question, again, the best model for securing our communities, rural and urban. Community policing is a tried and tested model and the rise of vigilante groups and the many “Civilian Joint Task Forces” is already indicative of a natural gravitation towards that solution. When communities are forced to form unofficial vigilante groups in the face of governmental inefficiency, the results have not always been good. The excesses of the Oodua People’s Congress, Bakassi boys and many more examples show how they can go rogue or become ethnic militias.

    Several theories have been advanced for the poor state of security in the country today. The fact is that many of the “major” security problems we now face have only now burst into the open after bubbling beneath the surface, unchecked, for too long. Our authorities have displayed a serious lack of foresight in dealing with security challenges, and the lack of local, pro-active andmulti-institutional collaborativeeffort is at the root of the problem. The security council should not be convened in Abuja for internal and local threats, but should be done at state or community level.

    The rise of the militant warfare between Boko Haram and Nigerian troops could have been halted if long term consequences were discussed between security agents and moderate religious leaders at local level. The bloody and widespread communal clashes that gave rise to the “killer herdsmen” could have been avoided if the impacts of climate change, population surge and land rights could have been viewed through a local security lens. The banditry that has now gripped the Northwest is not a situation that suddenly happened overnight. Men with guns do not just appear in forests.

    We cannot continue to ascribe military solution to every threat within our borders, when communities, through the police, are in the best position to develop security plans for protecting themselves. State policing should advance from the stage of idea and discussion and become a reality in Nigeria. Only at the state level can smaller communities organize into security units and departments. We cannot continue in ignorance. We must halt the dangerous drift towards a failed state.

  • Zamfara banditry et al

    Two closely related events last week, brought to the public domain the inherent complications in the insecurity that had reduced Zamfara State to a verity of the state of nature in the last couple of years.

    Before these developments, the real texture and character of the security challenge in that state had remained largely cloudy even as thousands of lives were lost and properties of inestimable value destroyed. Initially, we heard of cattle rustling as the main challenge.  But later, kidnapping for ransom crept in.

    This was followed in quick sequence by the more devastating phase of armed banditry that manifested in constant attacks and burning down of markets and villages for reasons that remained largely inexplicable. These combined to cast an air of confusion on the background; character and motivation of those who constantly levy unmitigated violence on that state.

    It was thus not surprising that the apparent inability of our security agencies to decode and understand the real nature and dimension of the insecurity in that state had largely accounted for its degeneration. That is perhaps why the criminality has festered with our security agencies unable to figure out effective therapeutic responses.

    When therefore, the acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammad Adamu announced the banning of all mining activities in that state as one of the measures to curb the rising spate of armed banditry, insurgency and general insecurity which had reached a boiling point in the gold-rich hinterlands of the state, many were pleasantly surprised.

    For the police chief, the measure was to “bring an end to the wave of bandits’ attacks and kidnappings as the miners are accessories to the crimes and to cut off the collaboration between the miners, the bandits and the kidnappers”.

    Minister of Defence Mansur Dan-Ali was also handy to issue a strong statement in which he accused some highly placed traditional rulers in the state of aiding and abetting the bandits to perpetuate criminal activities and of “compromising military operations”.  The minister while announcing comprehensive plans to smoke out the bandits from the state warned any person or group of persons who choose to connive or sympathize with the bandits of dire repercussions.Early January this year, the same minister had while on a fact-finding tour of the state said the possibility of links between bandits wreaking havoc in rural communities and Boko Haram could not be ruled out. This came even as the Miners Association of Nigeria had lamented the frustrations of its members who hold legitimate mining titles with huge investments in the affected areas but had been chased out by fully armed bandits.

    The association said, the bandits turned illegal miners, were mostly from Burkina-Faso, Chad, Niger and even Ghana and their efforts to draw federal government’s attention to the nefarious activities of the bandits in the past did not yield any fruitful results. That perhaps, explains why the bandits had operated without let or hindrance.

    It is good a thing the government appears to be coming to terms with the complications posed by banditry, kidnapping and insurgency in the northwest zone of the country. This is more so given the prevalence of the same cankerworm in Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto states among many other parts of the country that are regularly under the siege of one form of marauders or the other.

    By far, Zamfara has suffered more than its counterparts in the northwest region in the hands of all manner of demented serial killers. According to the state government, 3,526 persons have been killed by the bandits in the last five years with nearly 500 villages devastated and 8,219 injured. This is in addition to unrecorded crimes and criminal activities regularly committed by the marauding bandits.

    The matter was even such that President Buhari had at the heat of the killings arising from clashes between herders and farmers especially in the north-central zone, drawn parallels between them and those arising from the activities of bandits in Zamfara State. Though his intention then may have been to debunk allegations of government’s complicity in herders-farmers clashes together with all colorations associated with them, the comparison was seen as insensitive since it remains the prime responsibility of the government to protect all lives and properties.

    It was unexpected of a president to seek to whittle down the gravity of the killings arising from the insurgency of the herdsmen by comparing the casualty figures with the killings perpetrated by armed bandits whose real motivation had before now, remained largely inexplicable. Now, we have been told that it is all about illegal mining of gold in the hinterlands of that state. We are also being made to realize that some highly placed traditional rulers have been collaborating with the bandits to the extent of compromising military operations. It is surprising that the government is coming to terms with these realities very belatedly.

    These are very startling revelations that may have been responsible for the relative ease with which the bandits operate, kill and main defenceless people forcing them to flee their ancestral homes. Many have since been displaced and deprived of their livelihood with villages remaining ghosts of what they used be.

    What has emerged from the measures taken by the federal government is that all this while it lacked proper understanding of the real causes and motivation of those who have over these years sworn that Zamfara will know no peace. And that is a sad commentary on the professional competences of those charged with the management of the nation’s security affairs. Since the diagnosis of an ailment is half way to its cure, it is little surprising that in the absence of clinical understanding of what the security profile of the state entailed, the situation had remained largely hopeless.

    If the actions of the federal government and the reasons adduced to justify them are anything to repose confidence on, a dramatic improvement in the security situation of that state will soon begin to emerge. But traditional rulers from the state have picked holes with the claims that some of them are supporting the bandits. They have tasked the minister of defence to name the suspects or take responsibility for failure to get a handle to the degenerate situation in the state.

    One other thing that emerged from the disclosures is the existence of large quantity of gold deposits in that state which in turn, brought about illegal mining activities and banditry. It also came with the revelation that some companies were licensed by the government to mine gold in that state. This should come as a surprise to many. Before now, the overall contribution of gold to the nation’s revenue base has largely remained unknown to many.

    It is clear that the insecurity that has left Zamfara a ghost of its former self; bears the same imprimatur with what has overtime been known in the oil bearing states as militancy. Yet, those in authorities were unable to understand that banditry in that part of the country was essentially, economic deterministic. It is really surprising that the same government that has been waging relentless battles against oil bunkerers and militants that sabotage oil production could not understand the incalculable harm the activities of illegal miners and sundry criminals have wrought to the national revenue base.

    Beyond all this, the security situation in the country is really something to worry about. President Buhari must demonstrate through foolproof measures that he has what it takes to secure lives and property in this country. It is not enough to dish out orders to security chiefs to take drastic measures to tame the scourge. We have seen these orders time without number without solution at sight. A government is challenged by crisis of relevance and legitimacy when it fails to live up to the very reason for its existence.

  • Banditry: Senate approves N10bn intervention to assist displaced persons in Zamfara

    The Senate has proposed that a N10 billion intervention be made part of the 2019 Budget to assist persons displaced by banditry in Zamfara.

    This followed a motion by Sen. Kabiru Marafa on Wednesday at the Upper Chamber.

    The Senate further called for establishment of a 10-year Presidential Initiative to cater to the needs of displaced persons affected by banditry in the state.

    Presenting the motion, Marafa said recent public protest staged in Abuja and Nigerians in the Diasporas was a reaction to the deteriorating state of insecurity in Zamfara.

    He said there was need to commend those who staged the protest for their show of support and to sustain the solidarity.

    The lawmaker lamented that the activities of armed bandits, cattle rustlers and kidnappers for ransom in villages and communities had remained unabated in the state.

    “The activities of these armed bandits and cattle rustlers have since 2011 to date, resulted in the death of many people.

    “This is in addition to creating humanitarian crises which included, but not limited to, growing number of widows, rape victims and orphans

    “A conservative estimate of 11,000 male adults have been killed by armed bandits, leaving behind an average of 22,000 widows, at 2 wives per person and an estimated 44,000 orphans, at an average of 4 children per deceased.

    “Owing to cultural and religious consideration, the burden of these widows, orphans, rape victims and displaced persons are borne largely by close relatives.

    “Their needs are borne by extended families and sometimes immediate neighbours, who are now overstretched to a point they can no longer cope,” he said.

    The lawmaker also said the killings had brought untold hardship on several families who had to accommodate displaced persons and families, over stretching accommodation, scarce food, clothing and other necessities.

    According to him, the negative consequences arising from the crisis and the need for more humanitarian interventions for the growing number of widows and orphans had become necessary.

    He therefore urged the senate to commend all Nigerians who, irrespective of cultural, religious and tribal differences, came out in their number to show solidarity to the plight of their brothers and sisters in Zamfara.

    Read Also: Senate set to override Buhari’s veto on two bills

    He further urged the senate to make provision for the sum of N10 billion in the 2019 Appropriation as Intervention Fund to cater for the IDPs and other persons affected by the activities of armed bandits in the state.

    He equally urged the Federal Government to set up an Adhoc Committee to be known as Presidential Initiatives on Zamfara State (PIZAMS), with a 10 year life span to manage the said funds and subsequent allocation and donations.

    Contributing, some lawmakers recommended the creation of State police and constitutional amendment to devolve more powers to the states as part of solutions to the problem.

    They said the three-month ban on the use of commercial motorcycle imposed by the state government would go a long way in addressing banditry in the state.

    The lawmakers equally noted that the only way to tackle the numerous security challenges in the country was to decentralise the Nigerian Police Force.

    In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said until Nigeria began to look at the possibility of establishing State Police, the country would continue to have security challenges.

    He expressed concern at the turn of events in Zamfara, saying the state used to be very peaceful.

    Saraki charged relevant authorities not to rest on their oars in nipping the crisis in the bud.

    The president of the senate put the recommendations to voice vote and they were unanimously adopted.

  • How to stop kidnapping, banditry, by cleric, retired general

    PRESIDENT of the United Church of Christ in Nations (HEKAN) Reverend Amos G. Kiri and Chairman of the Northeast Development Commission General Paul Tarfa (rtd) have said a synergy between the nation’s security outfits can defeat kidnapping, banditry and others.

    They also said the Federal Government must deploy tAir Force fighter jets to rid the nation’s major highways of kidnappers, robbers and bandits.

    Both spoke in Kaduna at the closing of the 53rd Annual Convention of HEKAN at Gonin Gora in Kadun yesterday.

    General Tarfa, chairman of the convention said kidnapping on Kaduna-Abuja road and other places would not stop until security agents take the fight to them in the forest.

    He said: “Since it has been identified that the criminals attack and go into the forest to hibernate, the best to do to root them out is take the fight to them in the forest. The forest must be combed, otherwise they will keep on coming back to the road.”

    Reverend Kiri said: “The need for synergy of security agencies to end this matter is important. They should join hands together and salvage the nation by forgetting about rivalry and working as a team.

    Speaking further, the HEKAN president, who was once a policeman, said besides the government should play a proactive role by supporting the agencies.

    “The government must support these agencies. I would suggest that the Air Force jets be used on the criminals through air raids and the Army battalions on foot can chase the hoodlums out of the forests,” he said.

    HEKAN president said the  truth was that the security situation had degenerated.

    “This is no exaggeration or latest news. It has been in television, social media and all over. The security situation is so bad that we cannot close our eyes to what is happening.

    “That the governor of Kaduna State ran into kidnappers and as a result, saved some Nigerians calls for concerns. What if he was not there at that moment?” he queried.

    He said the development had threatened Nigeria’s food security as people were afraid to go to their farms.

    “It  is so bad that our livelihood is threatened. We are devastated because of what the kidnappers have unleashed on us. You can’t travel because you are afraid, whether by day and night,” he lamented.

    On the presidential elections, he hailed the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, for seeking redress in courts, instead of resulting to violence.

    He urged the tribunal and the court to be fair in dealing with cases before them.

  • Buhari uges traditional rulers to end banditry

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has urged traditional rulers to do more in curbing banditry and kidnapping in their communities.

    According to him, he felt disappointed that people who were allegedly close to some of them were found to have a hand in such criminality.

    The President spoke yesterday at a meeting with the royal fathers in the Government House in Gusau, Zamfara State,  as part of the ongoing campaigns.

    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President expressed the determination of his administration to defend the country from criminals and insurgents.

    “We are determined to defend the nation and its people. We are disappointed with some of the things going on. You are responsible for the security of your neighbourhood. Being close to your people, you know them. You are still relevant. I am sorry this has extended to some of your families,” he said.

    Referring to the deployment of a large number of security personnel to the state, Buhari said security is also the business of the traditional rulers, not that of the police and other security agencies alone.

    “More security is not good news, but we must do something to secure our environment,” he noted.

    The President hailed the gallantry of the security agencies in battling kidnapping and banditry.

    Buhari said: “You know what we have achieved. You had one who styled himself as Buharin Daji, the Buhari of the forests, claiming to be in charge and not I at the centre. He is no more, and by my surviving him, you now know who is stronger.”

    He said he was contesting this election as his fifth and the last, because as he noted, “a second term is what the constitution allows, and I will not abuse the constitution.”

    Council of Traditional Rulers Chairman and Emir of Anka Alhaji Attahiru Ahmed and Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar hailed the President’s efforts in changing the state’s security situation.

    According to the governor, “From the presence of an ammunition depot manned by just 30-men when you took office in 2015, Zamfara State today boasts of the presence of 4,700 combined security personnel, who are assisted by 8,500 State Joint Task Force, SJTF members. We also have the 223 Battalion, the 607 Quick Response Battalion and the 1 Brigade in Gusau.”

    The council of traditional rulers also endorsed President Buhari’s bid for a second term.

  • Banditry: NAF deploys air assets in Sokoto

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) yesterday said more air assets, equipment and a detachment of special forces have been deployed in Sokoto State to boost anti-banditry operations and check other criminal acts in the state.

    NAF’s spokesman Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said the deployment was aimed at adding value to the efforts to tackle insecurity in some parts of the state.

    In a statement, Daramola said: “The NAF today (January 19) deployed a fighter aircraft, along with support equipment and a detachment of Special Forces (SF) personnel in Sokoto to further boost anti-banditry operations in the Northwest of the country under Operation Diran Mikiya.

    “The deployment is aimed at adding value to the efforts to deal with the spate of insecurity in some parts of Sokoto State and the border areas between Zamfara and Sokoto states.

    “Receiving the air assets, pilots and SF personnel, the Air Officer Commanding Tactical Air Command (AOC TAC), Air Vice Marshal Oladayo Amao, urged them to exhibit the highest sense of professionalism as they go about their task of securing communities whilst ensuring they deal decisive blows to the armed bandits.

    “Also present to receive the personnel and equipment were the Commander of Air Task Force Operation Diran Mikiya, Air Commodore Ayoola Jolasinmi and the Commander of 119 Forward Operating Base (119 FOB), Air Commodore Jibrin Usman.

    “It may be recalled that following an assessment visit to NAF units in Katsina, Zamafara and Sokoto states on 26 December, last year, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) stated that facilities at the Sultan Abubakar III Airport would be upgraded to facilitate the deployment of NAF platforms and equipment to enable the conduct air operations from the airport, for enhanced NAF response capability in support of the anti-banditry operations in the area.”

  • Humanitarian Catastrophic: Nigeria among top ten countries

    Nigeria has been listed among nine other countries in this year International Rescue Committee (IRC) countries most at risk of humanitarian catastrophe in 2019.

    The ranking by IRC has 21 countries on the list, with Nigeria ranked eight and Yemen ranked at the top position.

    According to the list published on the 17 of December 2018, by the humanitarian organisation, the presidential election in February 2019 may have a destabilising impact that could spark a greater conflict.

    On Nigeria position IRC said “During 2018, Nigeria has experienced persistent attacks from armed groups as well as communal violence exacerbated by competition for water and land resources. As a result, Over 2 million Nigerians have been displaced internally and 230,000 have sought refuge in neighboring countries”.

    For the outlook it said, “Violence could intensify, triggering more displacements and exacerbating food insecurity for millions of Nigerians. The presidential election in February 2019 may also have a destabilizing impact and could spark greater conflict, leading to further displacement”.

    Countries also listed with Nigeria includes: Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, , South Sudan, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Central African Republic, Syria, Ethiopia and Somalia.

    Speaking on the list, Bob Kitchen, the IRC’s Vice President for Emergencies said 2018 was a devastating year for millions around the world, with more people displaced from their homes than ever before.

    He said, “In many of the world’s most challenging places, armed conflict and man-made crisis mean life will get worse and not better in 2019.”