Bandits have continued to unleash mayhem on residents of some northern states despite the ongoing military onslaught, findings by PUNCH have revealed. Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina states in the North-West region, have had a surge in bandit attacks, resulting in the death and displacement of many citrizens.....Read Full Article>>
Saturday PUNCH gathered that no fewer than four local government areas in Katsina State are experiencing consistent attacks from bandits.
The councils are Batsari, Safana, Faskari and Danmusa. Further findings showed that though no council in Sokoto was under the control of bandits, the gunmen still held sway in some communities, including Isa, Sabon Birmi, Goronyo, Gwadabawa, and Rabbah.
Data obtained from Beacon Consulting, a Nigerian-based security firm monitoring insecurity in the country, revealed that 42 attacks were carried out in the North-West, leading to the death of 37 people, while 183 individuals were kidnapped between July and September 2024.
President Bola Tinubu had late August ordered the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle; the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; and other military chiefs to relocate to Sokoto State as part of efforts to restore peace in the region.
The President’s directive also included the capture or killing of a notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, who had been responsible for many deadly attacks in the region.
But more than one month after the directive, security operatives have yet to either capture or kill Turji.
In September, the bandit kingpin imposed a N30m levy on residents of Moriki town in the Zurmi LGA of Zamfara for their protection against attacks.
While security operatives have killed top bandit leaders and arrested several others, findings by Saturday PUNCH revealed that many communities in Kastina and Zamfara states have yet to be free from attacks.
On Wednesday, bandits reportedly killed five persons in separate attacks in Kankara LGA of Katsina State.
Locals revealed that while four individuals were killed and one injured in Ammarawa village during an early morning raid by bandits, one person was killed and seven others were abducted in Dan Gani village.
Earlier on Monday, four persons were killed and others injured during an attack on Kukasheka village, also in Kankara LGA.
In September, bandits reportedly killed eight security personnel near Tazame village in the Tsafe LGA of Zamfara State.
The security personnel, comprising five policemen and three soldiers, were attached to a road construction company, Satraco Nigeria Limited. In August, a district head of Gatawa, in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto, Muhammad Bawa, was also killed while in the captivity of the bandits.
The Chairman of Isa LGA also in Sokoto, Sharifu Kamarawa, lamented that bandits, led by Turji, now appointed and deposed village heads in his council. The council chairman spoke when Matawalle paid him a visit at the local government secretariat on Thursday.
“Here in Isa town, we are living peacefully. The problem is in the eastern part of Isa. There are places that are still under the control of bandits. They appoint and depose village heads there.
“We are appealing for a military camp in Kagara to take care of those areas. We used to have a camp there before it was relocated. Then, there was relative peace in those places. So, we want the camp back,” Kamarawa said.
The village head of Gidan Duro, a community located between Sabon Biirni and Isa LGA of Sokoto, Shauaib Galadima, also stated that nearly all the villagers had left the community to safer places for fear of being attacked by bandits.
“I am the village head of this community, even though I also don’t sleep here, but I am the only one coming to this place on a daily basis; every other person has relocated to other places such as Sabon Birni,” Galadima said.
Speaking on the insecurity, a security expert, Timothy Avele, said military operations could not end banditry and terrorism in the region.
He said, “Well, we can’t expect the military to completely end terrorism and acts of banditry in Nigeria. However, because both are political weapons, coupled with the increasingly biting economic situation in Nigeria, it may even get worse unless deliberate solutions to tackle this hardship are put in place by various government levels, right from FG and state down to the LGAs.
“Second, terrorists are transiting to the digital and cyberspace domain as we can see terrorists making use of TikTok to display their loot. Unfortunately, our security agencies are still lagging in that aspect, they’re not moving with the current realities.
“Finally, the government and politicians must provide adequate funding for the security sector, there’s no shortcut. You get what you give.”
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, also maintained that military operations alone could not eradicate banditry.
He added that attention must be given to what brought about terrorism, noting that sub-national government must ensure good governance.
Buba assured Nigerians that Turji would soon be eliminated.
He said, “Troops have killed many terrorist leaders and commanders numbering over 300 as of third quarter of this year. Other existing commanders or leaders are dead men walking as they will sooner than later be taken off the battlefield. They are hiding like rats, trying to avoid troops, but their time is up.”
The defence spokesman said all fighter jets in the military had been deployed in the ongoing war against bandits and terrorists.
He said, “The 12 Super Tucano helicopters and others in the inventory have been deployed in our war effort. Accordingly, we have recorded huge success since their deployment.” Exposed Celebrities Video
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