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Tag: bandits

  • Seven killed, two hospitalised as bandits attack Kaduna mosque, neigbourhood

    Seven killed, two hospitalised as bandits attack Kaduna mosque, neigbourhood

    A total of seven people were killed on Friday night after gunmen suspected to be bandits attacked Saya-Saya village in Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    Five worshippers were shot dead and two others injured when the bandits attacked a mosque in the area.

    A driver who took food items to the village and another unidentified person were also killed by the bandits.

    ASP Mansur Hassan, 2IC to the Kaduna State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident to The Nation on Saturday, saying that the unfortunate attack would have been prevented if the villagers were prompt in reporting the presence of the gunmen.

    The Nation gathered that bandits launched the attack on the worshipers who were in the mosque to observe their Isha’i prayer around 8:00pm on Friday.

    Read Also: Bandits kill five, injure two worshippers in Kaduna mosque

    The Village Head of Saya-Saya, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Yusuf, who also confirmed the incident, said the bandits may have targeted the village’s security volunteers, as he said that one of those killed was the head of the village’s vigilante group.

    According to him, “We suspected they traced him (vigilante boss) to the mosque to attack him. We were inside the mosque praying when they arrived and started shooting. Five persons were killed at the mosque, while a driver who brought food items to the village was also killed. The other person was killed at a nearby village,” he said.

    The village head also said that security agencies comprising soldiers and Police from Ikara town and Palgore area arrived at the scene around 12:30am when the bandits had already left the village.

    He disclosed that one of the victims with gunshot wounds was taken to Aminu Kano Hospital for treatment.

    Contacted, the Kaduna Police Command confirmed that five people were killed in the attack, while two persons were injured.

    The spokesperson, ASP Hassan told The Nation that preliminary investigation revealed that the bandits had entered the village about three hours before they eventually launched the attack.

    According to him, “we are not blaming anybody, but we are calling on members of the public to always and promptly report any suspicious movement in their domains to security agencies. The information we got was that these people (bandits) were in the village interacting with the villagers, buying things, asking questions for almost three hours before the attack.”

    ASP Hassan, however, said that men of the Nigeria Police have been drafted to the area to comb the bush and fish out the culprits.

  • Bandits kill five, injure two worshippers in Kaduna mosque

    Bandits kill five, injure two worshippers in Kaduna mosque

    Five worshippers have been confirmed killed and two others injured when bandits on Friday night attacked a Mosque at Saya-Saya village in Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    ASP Mansur Hassan, 2IC to the Kaduna Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident to The Nation on Saturday, saying  the unfortunate attack would have been prevented if the villagers were prompt in reporting presence of the gunmen.

    The Nation gathered the bandits launched the attack on the worshippers who were in Mosque to observe their Isha’i prayer around 8:00pm on Friday.

    The Village Head, of Saya-Saya, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Yusuf, who also confirmed the incident, said the bandits may have targeted the village’s security volunteers as one of those killed was the Head of the Village’s vigilante group.

    According to him: “We suspected they traced him (vigilante boss) to the Mosque to attack him. We were inside the Mosque praying when they arrived and started shooting. Five persons were killed at the Mosque while a driver who brought food items to the village was also killed. The other person was killed at a nearby village,” he said.

    The Village Head also said  security agencies comprising soldiers and Police from Ikara town and Palgore area arrived at the scene around 12:30am when the bandits had already left the village.

    He stated one of the victims with gunshot wounds was taken to Aminu Kano Hospital for treatment.

    Kaduna Police Command’s Acting Public Relations confirmed five people were killed in the attack with two persons injured.

    Read Also: How we dealt with bandits in Nasarawa – Retired AIG Longe

    ASP Hassan told The Nation preliminary investigation revealed the bandits had entered the village like three hours before they eventually launched the attack.

    According to him: “We are not blaming anybody, but we are calling on members of the public to always and promptly report any suspicious movement in their domains to the security agencies. The information we got was that these people (bandits) were in the village, interacting with the villagers, buying things, asking questions for almost three hours before the attack.”

    He however said police operatives have been drafted to the area to comb the bush and fish out the culprits.

  • Modest gains against Kaduna kidnappers, bandits

    Kidnappers, armed robbers and other violent criminals still operate in parts of Kaduna State, but the ones in the state’s notorious areas seem to be on the back foot thanks to a security offensive. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE writes

    Kaduna State had in the past four years been notorious for kidnapping and armed banditry, especially on Kaduna-Abuja and Kaduna Birnin Gwari roads, claiming many lives and millions of naira in ransom to abductors.

    The situation equally caused unquantifiable economic loss, not only to Kaduna State, but the entire nation, as the two major highways are the major corridors between the North and South. While Kaduna-Abuja Road connects the North to the Southeast, Southsouth and Southwest through the federal capital and Northcentral, Birnin-Gwari Road connects the North to Southwest through Northcentral.

    Birnin-Gwari, unlike Kaduna-Abuja Road that is only known for kidnap for ransom, has over the years been the stomping ground of armed robbers, kidnappers, cattle rustlers and bandits, who have killed hundreds of people in the area.

    However, the criminalities which in the past appeared to have defied all security measures, now seem to have been decimated by the security forces, though pockets of kidnap and armed banditry cases persist, especially in hard to reach villages, farms and in some cases homes.

    This is evident in the parade last week of 79 kidnap, banditry and other suspects at Rijana, along Kaduna-Abuja ighway by the Kaduna State Command of the Nigeria Police, and the traditional ruler of the hitherto troubled Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area, who recently confirmed that the bandits terrorising his domain have been seriously degraded to the level of hunger.

    Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Ali Aji Janga paraded the suspects before newsmen, displaying 35 guns recovered from the suspects, and saying that the suspects were arrested along the highways and other locations within the state in July.

    CP Janga said, “The gallant determination of our crack operatives such as SARS, AKU, IRT, and other units have again recorded some successes with the apprehension of 79 suspects for various crimes which includes; criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, kidnapping, cattle rustling, culpable homicide, shop breaking and theft, impersonation and receiving stolen property.

    Read Also: Just in: Abductors of Kaduna pastor demand N20m ransom

    “Pursuant to our collective resolve, high sense of commitment and relentless determination, the command has sustained a serious manhunt on bandits and other perpetrators of crime within the state with a view to arresting and bringing them to book.

    “I am also glad to inform the general public that we are currently reviewing our structural deployment along Kaduna-Abuja Road, Kaduna-Zaria Road and Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road with a view to making the highways much safer for commuters while the efforts to rid the command of banditry and other violent crimes continue,” he said.

    The police boss also disclosed that exhibits recovered include, nine Ak47 Rifle, one Unserviceable LAR Rifle and 11 Locally Made Rifles and Pistols. Also one Pump Action, three Dane guns, 954 Rounds of Live Ammunition of different Calibre and 24 Live Cartridges, one knife, one hacksaw, the sum N30,000, two handsets, one face mask, two pair of canvass, four and half (41/2) Bundle of Brocade (Shadda) Materials and eleven Caps.

    “We also recovered one KIA Serato Motor Vehicle with Reg. No TT 547 AA Black in colour, one Toyota Corolla S Ash in colour with Reg. No. GWA 872 FM, one unregistered Mercedes Benz C350 Ash in colour, 439 Cattles,18 Sheep, eight Donkeys, one tricycle with Reg. No. MKA 248 WY, six motorcycles, eight Plasma Television, one HP Laptop, One Tiger Generator and four cutlasses were also recovered.

    “I am calling on the good people of Kaduna state to feel free and go about their normal businesses as the Command has appreciably reduced the rate of crime within the state.” He said.

    During the tour of Birnin Gwari operational area, CP Janga who reiterated that his mission in Kaduna was to rid the state of crimes and criminalities, assured that, the issue of banditry  will soon become an issue of the past in the area, as a simultaneous raid in all the states under armed bandits attacks was ongoing.

    He equally assured that, his men were chasing the bandits into their hideouts in the bush, saying that, “The problem of banditry in Birnin Gwari is one among the major problems we have at heart. We assure the people of Birnin Gwari that the issue of banditry in the local government will soon become an issue of the past. We are going after them into the bush.

    “Recently, we met with the Inspector General of Police in Abuja, he designed a concrete plans especially for Birnin Gwari to curtail the criminal activities and banditry in the area and others states in Nigeria facing such problems of insecurity. The comprehensive operations order are now being carried out simultaneously in Birnin Gwari and other states affected by similar challenges across Nigeria.” He said.

    Commending the efforts of the police and other security agencies, Emir of Birnin-Gwari, Alhaji Zubair Jibril Mai-Gwari II, who received the Commissioner of Police in his palace recently, stated categorically that, the bandits around Birnin Gwari have gone hungry and could be totally defeated with more security efforts.

    The Emir who was delighted with the visit of the Police Commissioner expressed confidence that, with a more serious operation against the bandits, they will be totally defeated.

    According to the Emir, “The bandits are only carrying out their operations in secluded areas where there are small market stalls and steal food in order to survive, they are hungry, they don’t have time to kill people again. If the police should re-strategise, little effort will only be needed to scrape them all, they don’t have much weapons, they are hidden in obvious hideouts.

    “The vigilant groups are also very helpful and they are playing a very vital roles in the fight against crime in the local government, but the the police should look into putting an end to the help of volunteers, who over react to situations and cause more damage in situations. The police should sit with them, get the good ones and recruit them to work together with the vigilantes.

    “We now have three extra police divisions in the local government, we earlier have four, the police personnel are not much, but they are trying their possible best to curtail any kind of criminal activity in the local government.

    “We are aware of the challenges faced by the police, we know you can’t instantly deploy police officers to us, but the few we have are putting in their best in the fight against criminality in the areas. We have had a lot of police commissioners in the state, I have worked with about 20 while on the throne, we gave them all the support they needed to combat crime in our communities, we also pledge to give you our maximum support,” Emir of Birnin-Gwari said.

  • Troops neutralise 30 bandits in Zamfara communities

    Troops of “Operation Hadari Daji” have neutralised 30 armed bandits in Zamfara State.

    Acting Force Information Officer Lieutenant Abayomi Oni-Orisan gave the figure while explaining the activities of the troops in getting rid of armed banditry.

    Lt. Oni-Orisan explained that the troops on June 29, while acting on intelligence report, rescued a civilian from armed bandits at Zurmi-Gurbin Baure road.

    He added that the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji on June 30 also conducted intensive bomb runs at several identified bandits’ camps in Dumburum forest.

    According to the Acting Force Information Officer, the air operation was conducted sequel to exhaustive Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations by the Air Component of OPHD in the area, including credible human intelligence gathered from locals.

    Scores of bandits, he said, were effectively neutralised in the operation while others fled the area.

    Lt. Oni-Orisan said more bandits were also neutralised when the fleeing bandits encountered ground troops deployed in blocking positions around the general area, where four of the bandits were equally captured by the troops.

    Two motorcycles and 43 livestock earlier rustled from locals were recovered.

    Similarly, on June 30, the troops apprehended a notorious bandit “Haruna Sani” and two other bandits at Wonaka-Mada road in Tsafe Local Government Area.

    Read Also: Air Force neutralises 20 bandits in Zamfara

    The Acting Force Information Officer said: “The criminals disguised themselves as innocent passersby and attempted to sneak into Gusau for medical treatment of injuries suffered during the ongoing military operations.”

    The troops on  July 1, in response to distress calls, deployed speedily to Bayan Dutse axis in Mada community of Gusau Local Government Area, where armed bandits were rustling herds of cattle and engaged the bandits successfully.

    One bandit was captured and 84 livestock, comprising 73 cows and 10 rams, were recovered.

    On July 2, he said the air component of the operation effectively neutralised 20 armed bandits at a location close to Munhaye town about 15 kilometres from Katsina State sequel to “credible human intelligence that bandits” had gathered for a meeting at a rendezvous close to Munhaye, possibly to attack locals in the vicinity.

    The air component, Lt. Oni-Orisan said, scrambled an Alpha Jet to the area.

    The bandits, numbering over 30 on seeing the jet, attempted to flee the area but the Alpha Jet engaged them with effective fire and neutralising 20 of them.

    Lt. Orisan said the troops of OPHD remain highly motivated, determined and disciplined in professionally executing their mission in line with extant Rules of Engagement (ROE) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) accordingly.

    The Force Commander (FC) Major-General Jide Ogunlade reassured inhabitants of Zamfara State of their safety.

    He also encouraged them to support the ongoing campaign against armed banditry and other criminalities by continuing to provide timely and credible information to the troops to ensure prompt and efficient action.

  • Police tighten noose on bandits as NLC calls for action

    The police commands in northcentral states of Kaduna, Katsina, Niger and Kogi have been recording success in the fight against armed banditry and other violent crimes. Augustine Okezie, Katsina and Precious Igbonwelundu report.

    Why govt should tackle insecurity, by NLC

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) National President Ayuba Wabba has urged the Federal Government to tackle insecurity headlong.

    In his address at the states’ delegates conference of the Benue State chapter of the umbrella union in Makurdi, the state capital, he said Nigerians were being abducted and killed daily.

    He said government must fight violent crimes to attract investment into the country.

    On the N30,000 national minimum wage signed into law by Mr. President, the NLC president advised governors to cut down their running cost and corruption to enable them pay.

    He said Labour would not accept anything less than N30,000.

    Wabba also urged the Federal Government to discountenance the advice by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that Nigeria should remove fuel subsidy.

    The NLC president stressed that Labour would resist any increase in the price of petroleum products, especially the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol.

    “We will resist any attempt to transfer incompetence of government to poor workers through an increase in pump price,” he said.

    Wabba expressed dismay over the decay in infrastructure in public institutions, such as schools and hospitals.

    The union leader called for total rehabilitation and reconstruction of public utilities for the benefit of those who cannot afford medical vacation abroad.

    The Comrade Godwin Anya-led Benue NLC Exco was returned unposed for another term in office.

     

    Kidnapping: Masari commiserates with communites

    Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari yesterday visited Yar Santa and Tsamiyar Jino villages in Kankara Local Government Area to condole and commiserate with the residents over recent bandit attacks.

    Some residents were killed in the attack while property estimated at  millions of naira were destroyed.

    A statement yesterday by the governor’s Special Assistant (SA) on Media, Alhaji Abdul Labaran, said Masari condemned the activities of the bandits.

    It said President Muhammadu Buhari had directed security chiefs to, within the shortest time possible, route out the bandits terrorising parts of Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna stateswith abduction for ransom, arson, murder and other forms of banditry.

    The governor assured the residents that his administration would address the security situation without sparing anybody found culpable, regardless of their positions or status in the society.

    He said: “We will not hesitate to deal appropriately with anyone found to be connected or in any way involved in the activities of the bandits.

    “Peace and normalcy must return to the area, as securing the lives and property of citizens is the sole raison d’etre for government, and failure to do that is tantamount to shirking the responsibility of the oath of office.

    “Rest assured that the government will not abandon you in your hour of need because we will take the fight to the bandits wherever they may be.”

    Masari expressed confidence that with the renewed determination of the government and the commitment of the security agencies, it was only a matter of time before the activities of the bandits are successfully contained, the same way the Boko Haram insurgency has been contained.

    The governor maintained that security had been tightened in the affected areas with the deployment of additional personnel, including over 100 policemen, the launching of special military and police operations on ground and air, as well as provision of additional formal and informal logistics.

    He added that security is the business of everybody, more so that there is no sufficient security personnel to be posted to every part of the country.

    Masari said: “Security and the maintenance of law and order are beyond the capacity of the men and officers of the security agencies. Therefore, there is a need for everyone, especially leaders in the society, to contribute towards ensuring the safety and security of their respective environment.

    “It’s the duty of parents, religious and other opinion leaders to educate the youth and monitor their activities to ensure that such are not in conflict with the interest of the larger society.”

    The Nation recalls that the state has been hijacked by incessant kidnapping and other cases of criminality, particularly in the eight frontline local government areas bordering Zamfara.

    The recent launch of Operation Puff Arder by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in conjunction with the state government, appears to be yielding good result.

     

    Banditry: Police arrest more criminals in Katsina

    The Katsina State Police Command yesterday announced the arrest of more suspected criminals and syndicates terrorising the state, especially suspected kidnappers, cattle rustlers and bandits.

    Police spokesman Gambo Isah, a Superintendent (SP), told reporters in Katsina that the arrests were part of the clampdown on all forms of crime and criminality across the state.

    He said the command under Police Commissioner Sanusi Buba had been recording successes against suspected criminals.

    Gambo said the arrests included a notorious member of cattle rustling/ armed robbery/kidnapping syndicates, which led to the recovery of one locally-made pistol and an axe from the suspect, following a tip-off.

    Those arrested include Jafaru Yahaya, 40, from Mallamawa village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara Dtate, for alleged robbery, kidnapping and terrorising residents  of Zamfara Sate and Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

    Gambo said the suspects were  apprehended while allegedly attempting to invade the home of Alhaji Garba Gajere in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

    The police spokesman said Yahaya confessed that he was paid N300,000 to kidnap or kill Gajere but declined doing so because of the cordial relations he had with him.

    He said Yahaya asked his victim to refund the N300,000.

    Also, security agents arrested suspected members of a robbery and kidnapping syndicate.

    The police said a partrol team attached to Kankara Division recovered one fabricated rifle from the suspected while responding to a distress call at Yan-Geme village.

    According to him, six suspects allegedly trespassed into the house of Alhaji Salmanu Abdullahi of Yan-Geme village and whisked away his wife to an unknown destination.

    Also, an armed robbery syndicate that specialised in strangling commercial motorcycle riders, popularly called Okada and robbing them of their motorcycles, was smashed.

    The police said they arrested Harisu Audu,  23 and Tanimu Abdu, 18, both  of Kubulen Gada village of Niger Republic, were arrested.

    They said the suspects hired an  Okada rider, Mustapha Alto, of Sharifawa village, Daura Local Government Area of Katsina State to Dan-Nakola village, Daura.

    On the way, the suspects  allegdly used a cable wire and strangled the victim until he lost consciousness.

    They allegedly stole his motorcycle, a  Daylong brand, which was unregistered and valued at N193,000.

    The suspects were apprehended and the stolen motorcycle recovered at Birnin Kudu in Jigawa State.

    The suspects were said to have confessed to the crime.

    Gambo assured that the suspects would soon be charged to court.

     

     18 notorious ‘kidnappers’ held as police recover 22 AK47 rifles, others

    The police yesterday said they have arrested 18 suspected kidnappers and robbers in the Northcentral.

    The arrests, it was learnt, followed earlier arrest of Mallam Salisu Abubakar, said to be a ‘Spiritual Father’ to kidnappers and armed bandits in the North by detectives attached to Operation Puff Adder.

    Those arrested include Abubakar Ibrahim (aka Dan Habu), 37, said to be a native of Kabam in Igabi Local Government Area of  Kaduna State.

    He was said to be responsible for the kidnap and murder of Kajuru monarch, King Agom Adara, and several other heinous crimes.

    Others include Johnson Okafor, 44; Shaibu Iliyasu (aka Smally), 20; Ishaik Dabo (aka Keke) 38; Mohammed Nasiru, 25; Aminu Haruna, 25 and  Shafiu Alhaji Gudau, 25.

    Others include Auwalu Hamisu, 24;  Ado Ya’u, 35; Ibrahim Yusuf, 30;  Ibrahim Audu, 22; Salisu Ajah, 50; Nasiru Umaru, 25; Magaji Abubakar, 27; Salisu Ali, 18; Lawal Shadari, 22; Junaidu Lawal, 18 and Usman Musa, 43.

    According to police spokesman Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), the suspects were arrested in Kaduna, Katsina, Niger and Kogi states.

    He said 22 AK47 rifles, five locally-made pistols and a cache of ammunition were recovered from them.

    Mba said a combined team of police detectives used actionable intelligence obtained from the spiritual godfather and other sources to tactically smoke out the kidnappers and armed bandits from their hideouts in Birnin Gwari, Rijana, Katari, Mai Daro and Buruku Forests in Kaduna State before they were eventually arrested at different locations and times in Kaduna, Katsina, Niger and Kogi states.

    “Meanwhile, police investigations have positively linked the arrested suspects to some of the most heinous crimes committed in Kaduna State and its environs in recent times.

    “Specifically, Abubakar Ibrahim (aka Dan Habu, 37, a native of Kabam in Igabi Local Government Area  of Kaduna State, who was arrested on April 15 at Rigachikun, confessed to the kidnapping and gruesome murder of HRH King Agom Adara of Kajuru Local Government Area and many other kidnappings and murders.

    “Similarly, the arrested gang members were also indicted by investigations for the kidnap and murder of Mallam Yakubu Usman, 40, of Jere Local Government Area, Kaduna State among others,” Mba said.

    He said all the suspects are currently aiding police investigation, adding that they belong to different, fairly independent vicious gangs whose operations were centrally coordinated by the spiritual godfather.

    “Efforts are currently being intensified to arrest other gang members still at large, and recover all weapons in the gangs’ armoury.

    “The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) re-assures the nation that Nigeria Police,, working in concert with other security agencies will not rest on its laurels until kidnapping and other violent crimes are subdued and sanity restored to the land,” Mba said.

  • How to crush Boko Haram, bandits, by Buratai

    The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai has identified measures to end Boko Haram terrorism, armed banditry and kidnapping bedeviling Nigeria.

    Buratai, who reiterated the link between Boko Haram Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), identified combined holistic approach by the countries of the Lake Chad as the surest way to total defeat of both Boko Haram and ISWAP.

    The Army Chief stated these in Jaji Military Cantonment on Wednesday as he flagged-off the First Quarter COAS Conference and Combat Arms Training Week.

    Buratai also said for the military and other security agencies to win the war against kidnapping, robbery and armed banditry ravaging Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto states, the media and other stakeholders must stop glorifying the criminals.

    He lamented stakeholders like religious and traditional leaders, security analysts and the media portray armed robbers, kidnappers and ethnic militias as stronger than the military and other security agencies.

    The Army boss stated categorically: “The criminals and bandits are only as strong as the society paints or view them and further propagated by the media.

    “There is no doubt that we are engaged in asymmetric operations against terrorists side by side with the resurgence of kidnapping and armed banditry in the North West as well as the North Central Zones of our country.

    “The strategy we used in the past to address such ugly trends in the South East and the South South regions must therefore be rejuvenated with new “out of the box” ideas to address the current security challenges.

    “This has necessitated the launching of OPERATION HARBIN KUNAMA III. The concept of this operation will require the combat arms as well as all combat support and combat support services working in synergy with other security agencies, the traditional institutions and other stakeholders to get rid of criminal elements. “

    He added: “We must ensure information flow that will be converted into actionable and timely intelligence for troops to take proactive measures and to support and drive targeted operations.

    “It is important that commanders in the field relate with the society and other security agencies in their efforts to bring the high rate of kidnapping, acts of banditry and attacks on villages leading to killings in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna and Katsina States to an end.

    “At this point, I will seize this opportunity to caution the media and the general public not to glorify bandits, armed robbers, kidnappers and ethnic militias to the extent that they are seen as stronger than the military and other security agencies.

    “The criminals and bandits are only as strong as the society paints or view them and further propagated by the media.

    “It is important to state that information and intelligence flows from the people and indeed from the press and the public.

    “Such criminal activities are intelligence based and the people, are in this regard to provide timely information and clear identifications of the perpetrators.

    “Undue publicity and praise singing of the bandits and other criminal elements would only motivate them to commit more criminal acts at the detriment of the society.

    “Therefore, the press, the general public, security analysts and public commentators are advised to show more maturity and due diligence in this collective effort of ridding the country of criminals and criminalities.”

    On Boko Haram, Buratai said, Boko Haram has aligned with ISWAP to make Northern Borno and the general area of the Lake Chad Basin an enclave straddling the 4 countries in the region.

    He however said that, to ensure the total defeat of both Boko Haram Terrorists and ISWAP, the fight requires a combine holistic approach by the countries of the Lake Chad Commission.

  • Air Force Special Forces neutralise bandits in Zamfara

    THE Air Force Special Forces team in Zamfara State has neutralised two bandits in Rafi and Doka villages in Gusau Local Government Area.

    Air Force spokesman Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, in a statement, said the team responded to reports of the gathering of high profile bandits in the communities.

    Air Commodore Daramola said: “In response to reports that high profile armed bandits were gathering around Rafi and Doka villages of Mada District in Gusau Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State, which is under the Area of Responsibility (AOR) of the 207 Quick Response Group (207 QRG), a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Special Forces (SF) team was dispatched to the area on April 16, 2019, to secure the two settlements and thwart the bandits’ plans.

    Read also: Air Force loses airman to Parachuting accident

    “Upon arrival at the location, the NAF SF Team encountered resistance in the form of heavy gunfire from the bandits.

    “However, the brave SF personnel employed superior tactics to outlast the bandits, who were soon low on ammunition, before engaging and overpowering them.

    “Two bandits were neutralised in the process and others fled with gunshot wounds.

    “Since then, the SF team has been conducting aggressive patrols in the area, especially in the fringes of the forest, to forestall any reprisal attack.

    “The NAF, along with sister services and other security agencies, will sustain the operations to flush the bandits out of the Northwest.”

  • Bandits

    •The Federal Government must draw a strategy and show nerve over terror in the north

    All over the north the roll call is gruesome. One after the other, a tale of unease. Brigandage, death tolls, vulnerable citizens. But on the Federal Government’s part, it is paralysis.

    The Buhari administration swung to action when it took over in 2015, and within a year, the promise was heartening. Boko Haram, with is militant swagger and territorial encroachments, halted and retreated. Its boastful strides and the impunity of its flags lost momentum, and the information minister Lai Mohammed was able to attempt the exaggeration of saying Boko Haram had been defeated, the bandits had been vanquished.

    While Mohammed was in a propaganda mode, we understood that his overzealous ejaculations had a little strand of fact on the ground. Today, Mohammed cannot try any such enthusiasm, especially when the president in a phrase not remarkable for grammar, said he was the “unhappiest” person on earth.

    He was speaking specifically about the slide to near anarchy in Zamfara State where bandits have turned gold into a scramble for existential battles. For quite a few years now, the state has known neither peace nor a promise of it. Ordinarily, a state with such deposit of gold should be a place of investments and commerce and a magnet to persons high and low. Its prosperity would be a launching pad of new cultures, a la Thorsten Veblen.

    But the opposite is the case. So bad was it that even the state governor, Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari, once foreswore, though in an act of extra-constitutional symbolism, his power and right as the chief security officer of the state. More potently, his declaration was an unsubtle vote of no confidence on the Federal Government and the president that is still, as we write this editorial, clutching at straws to put any semblance of sanity in the state.

    Not long ago, Yobe State came into the spotlight. The state has had its own bloody episodes of the militant absurdist group called Boko Haram. Schools have fallen, villages pillaged and sacked and a general pervasive air of fear has hung over it. Its case has not been as severe as Borno State. But the group amassed a baffling confidence when it threatened it was marching on the Yobe State capital, Damaturu. The last time we witnessed such threat of subversion was in the Jonathan era when the pious hoodlums were a few miles away from Maiduguri, especially the state house. That accounted for one reason why the Jonathan administration was swept out of power.

    The threat of Damaturu reflects the fragility not only of the state, but of the entire northeast, especially as bad news from Borno State still pours in sporadically. It has become an uncertain story in that state. Sometimes we hear of the triumph of our soldiers and the retreat of the goons. Other moments subdue our hopes with suicide bombers and the sacking of markets and homes. Apart from the initial successes of routing the Boko Haram group as armies of occupation, our defence team and soldiers have lacked the imagination and cunning to put down and even cripple the insurgents.

    Southern Kaduna roared a few years ago with war cries of ethno-religious temperament. It was believed that both the Fulani and the Christian residents retreated to a bloodless affray and noiseless disquiet. But just a few months to the 2015 polls, the story changed. It was not only bloodbath, but a strange triumphalism of figures. It was not whether it was tragic that the neighbours could not live together in peace. It was a recrimination as to who struck first and who retaliated, almost as though at the bottom of the bandying of figures, those who killed more were garlanding themselves as great defenders of their kind.

    With his fierce vanity, the Kaduna State governor lost his position as arbiter, as one part saw him as their advocate and the other as an unblushing adversary. The southern Kaduna crisis still smoulders.

    The other story is the Kaduna-Abuja road. Before, the fear on that major artery was not nature or even bandits. It was the red-blooded driver and the temptation of its smooth tracks. Then, the plea was to the commuters to beware of speeding, and be wary of death traps. The shoe is now on the foot of the bandits. They do two things. They kidnap and they kill. Sometimes they do either, and other times they do both. It is a great deal of fear these days to want to travel that road.

    It is a pathway out of Abuja and to Abuja by many who do businesses with the nation’s capital. Some of the high profile persons of the north, including governors and ministers are familiar denizens of that road. Now, rather than find a solution to it, we are experiencing a familiar Nigerian approach to crisis: Dodgy answers. Those who had enjoyed long convoys and had to move in posh sports utility vehicles now are joining others who travel in trains. Once the well-heeled find an escape route from any commoner’s woes, the doom that problem. So, the poor who cannot afford to gravel on trains with the new fare hike will now be at the mercy of the bandits.

    Even in the north, the Jukun andTiv are renewing their atavistic feud. It is an irony that such a conflict would have been headline in the past northern quiet. Today, it is bloody aside in a north swept through with battles that threaten the entire northern elite. Even in Zamfara State, where the Federal Government has lost all clues, the conflict has spilled over with its cinders flying to states like Katsina, Jigawa and Sokoto.

    Kidnapping has become an adjunct phenomenon of this heterogeneity of violence. Big names and not-so-big names are kidnapped. It has become a sort of cottage industry in a north that does not have enough jobs for the young, where the young al majiri is growing to an anti-social adult.

    The tragedy is that neither the government nor the army inspires any confidence that they have a solution to the region that seems now mated to terror. The service chiefs retain their jobs even though they are specimens of failure in this era where life is brutish, nasty and short in the north.

  • Over 5000 killed in Zamfara by bandits since 2009, says Yari

    •A’isha Buhari pledges to support victims
    •10, 000 houses razed by hoodlums *N20b spent on logistics

    NO fewer than 5000 lives in about 500 villages have been lost from 2009 to date when banditry started in Zamfara State, Governor Abdul Aziz Yari Abubakar said yesterday.

    He gave the figures during the distribution of 5,000 assorted relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by the President’s wife, Hajiya A’ishatu Buhari, in Gusau, the state capital.

    The first lady was represented by the Administrative Liaison Officer of her pet programme, Future Assurance Foundation, Hajiya Fadimatu Rafin Dadi.

    The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) Chairman stated that about 10, 000 houses were razed and over 13,000 hectares of farmland remain uncultivated.

    He said the relief materials, which were distributed by the president’s wife, was timely, assuring that they would be judiciously distributed and utilised.

    Yari, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Abdullahi Muhammad Shinkafi, said his administration has assisted security agencies with 570 Hilux vehicles.

    He added that he has provided administrative office and logistics for over 4,000 security operatives deployed to the state in the last seven years estimated at about N20 billion.

    According to the governor, there were only 27 security men on ground in 2009.

    Yari said N5 billion was disbursed to the victims of various attacks at different times.

    He gave the breakdown of such assistance as N500,000 given to families of those killed, N250,000 to those injured and same amount also to those whose houses or silos were burnt.

    In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary, Zamfara State Emergency Management Agency, Sunusi Muhammad Kwatarkwashi, an engineer, said available record with the agency shows that there are 37,000 IDPs that were forced to take shelter in various locations across the state. They included 4,634 men, 9,269 women and 23,172 children.

    Kwatarkwashi added that from 2018 to date, 586 people were killed, 267 injured, 338 kidnapped, some of whom, according to him, have  returned.

    He said the rest of those kidnapped are still in captivity in the hands of their abductors, stressing that silos and houses were burnt aside from rustled animals.

    Mrs. Buhari, however, pledged to keep supporting families, especially victims of insecurity and banditry attacks across Zamfara State and other affected areas.

    She said her foundation is making an effort to better the lives of the IDPs, urging them to be calm, resolute and believe that their travails is an act of God.

     

  • Bandits and their collaborators

    Badly, insecurity continues to hit the headlines. Last week, no fewer than 50 persons were said to have been killed by bandits in Zamfara. This happened   in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of the state. The dead included members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).

    Responding to the recent cases of banditry in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari was quoted as saying: “How can I be happy and indifferent to the senseless killing of my fellow citizens by bandits?” Buhari’s Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, quoted him in a statement.

    Buhari said:”I am human and I understand the pains of the victims and their families who have been traumatised and impoverished by constant ransom demands by bandits… Almost every week, I summon my security chiefs to get an update on the strategies being devised to defeat these mass murderers. There is no issue that dominates my mind every 24 hours like security…”

    The President drew attention to why bandits are winning, saying they have informants in some communities and certain communities have protection deals with bandits at the expense of other communities.

    The Minister of Defence, Gen. Mansur Dan Ali, corroborated the information.  A statement by his Public Relations Officer, Col. Tukur Gusau, said some highly placed persons, including traditional rulers, had been collaborating with bandits. His words: “In spite of the concerted efforts of the Armed Forces and other security, some unpatriotic persons, including highly placed traditional rulers in the areas, were identified as helping the bandits with intelligence to perpetrate their nefarious actions or to compromise military operations.”

    This situation certainly complicates the issue.  The security challenges in the Northwest, particularly in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Birnin-Gwari axis of Kaduna are compounded by the strange collaboration. No doubt, the collusion is a threat to the Nigerian Army’s Exercise HARBIN KUNAMA IV in Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto states. “The purpose of the exercise is to effectively flush out the activities of criminal elements in the Northwest,” the minister said.

    Since the President and the minister are on the same page on the question of collaboration between bandits and some influential people in the concerned areas, why have the authorities not arrested those allegedly colluding with bandits?

    It is not enough to identify those “helping bandits with intelligence.” The Federal Government must move decisively against bandits and their collaborators, no matter who they are.