By Safiyanu Ladan
The henious activities of bloodthirsty and marauding bandits is taking a new toll in some communities in Giwa LGA, Kaduna state, despite the fact that military has orchestrated a new strategies aimed at mopping them up.
The remnant of these bandits are still lurking in some rural communities unleashing mayhem to the helpless and hopeless villagers.
A joint military and police operation carried out on 18th November, 2022 has foiled kidnap attempt along Funtua-Zaria road and led to the rescue of over 70 people.
In addition to that on 17th November, 2022 the Kaduna state police command has, acting on intelligence report that some armed bandits were sighted on motorcycle along Galadimawa-Tumburku Road in Giwa LGA, deployed its personnel and after an ensued engagement between the bandits and the police, one bandit was apprehended and five of their operational motorcycles were recovered.
The untiring efforts of military and police in checkmating the criminal activities of bandits is glaring as it brings back sanity to some communities. However, much need to be done in order to rid other communities of the clutches of armed bandits.
Some news reports coming out from other communities are disturbing because they indicated that residents in those communities live at the mercy of the dreaded bandits.The horrendous killing of eleven community members and the abduction of 24 others in Sarkin Rafi in Giwa local government area last Friday is a major setback in the security’s ongoing war with bandits.
I was enraged by the news that about ₦10 million ransom was paid to the bandits to secure the release of my cousin who was kidnapped alongside her husband and 7 other couples of just a few months in one of the community at Giwa LGA. They regained their freedom after spending over 40 days in the kidnapper’s dens.
The unreported and underreported incidents like the above-mentioned are going on without interruption in some communities at the detriment of the poor villagers who are always at the receiving end.
It’s on this note that, while we appreciate the efforts of security personnel for deploying the resources to combat the menace of armed bandits, we equally call on them to re- strategize and deal with them ruthlessly.
The life of any Nigerian matters and as such people should be allowed to pursue their legimate goals and ambitions ina peaceful setting as enshrined in the Constitution, without fear of being attacked by the miscreants.
Safiyanu Ladan writes from Zaria. uncledoctor24@gmail.com
