Banditry

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Four abducted female students of the College of Health Science and Technology, Tsafe in Zamfara State, regained freedom Thursday, April 14, 2022.

The Deputy Provost of the college, Jamilu Lawal, made the disclosure, adding that the students were released unhurt. 

He added that the four female students had been taken to the hospital for medical screening.

The Daily Reality learnt that no ransom was paid to the bandits for the release of the students. 

The students were reportedly abducted last Tuesday night in Tsafe town.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The Federal Government is in dialogue with the bandits that stormed and abducted many people in the Kaduna-Abuja train attack. 

The FG was said to have granted a discussion with the bandits for negotiation. 

Dr Jimoh Fatai, who has been designated as chairman of the group pressing for the release of their loved ones, made the disclosure. 

He stated that the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed while addressing the victims’ relatives, assured them that FG would save the victims.

The Daily Reality reported how bandits attacked the Kaduna-Abuja train, killed eight persons, and abducted many passengers last month.

The bandits in a video threatened to kill all the victims if the federal government refused to negotiate with them.

However, a few days after the attack, the bandits released one of the abductees, Alwan Hassan, the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BON).

Hassan was alleged to have paid the sum of N100 million as ransom.

By Muhammad Rabiu Jibrin (Mr J)

I write this letter to you as a Muslim brother and a citizen who is deeply concerned about the gory happenings in this country and who prays for its betterment. It is undeniable that the trying time Nigerians live is uncalled-for. It is not what the citizens prayed for when voting for their leaders. Thus, it indicts the leadership system of all the three arms of government in the country, unfortunately

Should the government have worked holistically towards curbing the menace, the situation couldn’t have been worst like this. But, would the inferno ignite due to our leaders’ carefree attitudes, which seem to have been politicising virtually everything, be left consuming the spirit and the fabrics of our dear nation?

Truth be told, even a responsible and serious government can’t fight a politically created conflagration of multiple fronts alone, let alone a government with a lackadaisical attitude. Therefore, as Muslims of the ravaging county, we all have a role to play individually or collectively.

As we observe this blessed month of Ramadan, which has the best nights therein and in which the glorious Qur’an was revealed, we need to cry hard for God, the Almighty, to come to the rescue of our nation.

We must look inward and outward and return to God, the Most Merciful, the Most Powerful, the Compassionate and the Absolute Compeller. We should desist from committing sins and repent from our misdeeds. We should give to charities, recite the glorious Qur’an, supplicate and intensify prayers to God to see to the end of this mess.

Religious scholars should use their influence during tafsir, and Imams during their Juma’a sermons should pray immensely on this matter. Let Him choose for us the rightful leaders of all cadres. Let God the Almighty leave us not with our wisdom and selfish wishes and choices.

We can’t fold our hands, legs crossed, witnessing the downfall of this country under the watch of our leaders whom we entrusted but failed us. So let us all wake up from our slumbers and do the needful at the right time.

May we be governed by leaders who love us more than how we love them, leaders who prioritise our societies’ interests over their interests, leaders who think about giving their leadership account on the Day of Reckoning, amin.

Muhammad Rabiu Jibrin (Mr J) wrote from Gombe via muhammadrabiujibrin@gmail.com.

By Muhammad Sabiu

Nigerian soldiers have captured a large sum of money intended to pay for the release of several captives held by armed bandits in Kaduna State.

Some of the ransom payment couriers are alleged to be security personnel, according to media reports.

Kidnapped victims, including women and children, were also rescued by troops participating in intelligence-driven military operations.

The operations, which were carried out concurrently by Nigerian Army ground soldiers and special forces from the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, resulted in eliminating several bandit terrorists.

According to an intelligence officer, troops from the synchronised operations from the 271 NAF Detachment in Birnin Gwari and the Nigerian Army FOB in Gwaska rescued dozens of kidnapped victims.

“The sum of N60,000,000 in cash, petroleum products and sophisticated weapons were recovered during the operations.

“Other items recovered by the troops from the suspects include vehicles, AK-47 rifles, magazines, various kinds of ammunition and mobile phones.

“Meanwhile, we will refer the case of the arrested couriers who mostly have identifications with security agencies to the Department of State Service (DSS) and Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) for further investigation,” the intelligence officer was quoted as saying.

By Shafi’i Sheikh Jr.

I tried to resist the temptation to speak on matters that fringe around governance and government policies. This is because there are things that an observer can only see if he resists the temptation to jump into the fray and become an actor himself. But recent happenings have reawakened my enthusiasm to march to the stake like the man my mom had always desired me to be and take the bullet in the chest should the need arise. 

In 2015, we supported APC with our sweat and money chanting “change” wherever we found ourselves so much that it caught every household’s mood. Why? Because we thought a Buhari-led government would have no trouble handling the heaps of problems bedevilling our mettlesome Nigeria. 

Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of why we-the masses brought Buhari to power in the first place. 

First of all, Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil-producing country, was rapidly growing its economy, but the wealth had not been shared appropriately. Half of Nigeria’s population was living below the poverty line. The corruption that was partly to blame was eating into every fabric of Nigeria’s being. 

Secondly, the menace of Boko Haram was spreading wider than it started and had already claimed over 20,000 people and forced out some 3 million others from their homes. We accused the previous Goodluck E. Jonathan-led administration of not taking the menace seriously and posited that Buhari, who’s from the region, would do better if given the opportunity. 

We, therefore, came out en masse to vote Buhari into power. The 2015 election was and still is of massive significance in Nigeria’s turbulent history because, for the first time in Nigeria’s history, an opposition candidate won a presidential election free and fair. 

The president-elect (as he then was) told his supporters that “We have proven to the world that we are people who have embraced democracy. We have put the one-party state behind us.”

“You, Nigerians, have won. The people have shown their love for this nation and their belief in democracy,” He mentioned. 

It was the beginning of a new era. Nigeria and Nigerians refurbished a new hope. But these hopes were soon quashed by his incompetence to constitute a cabinet after 100 days in office. It was opined that a leader who couldn’t form a cabinet for that long is ill-prepared for the most important job in the country. 

Albeit hinging his voter appeal on waging war against corruption, fighting terrorism, and revamping the economy, the Buhari-led government had nothing to show except a plethora of controversies that embroiled his first 100 days in office. 

Today, the government only succeeded in pulling us from the shackles of Boko Haram into a dungeon full of kidnappers, IPOB and the so-called Unknown Gunmen. 

Ours is a country where lives are no longer sacred. Education has been exiled, social amenities are declared “extinct”, and food! Well, you’ll have to take a bank loan if you want to eat healthily. These terrorists attack and operate in broad daylight. 

Even after the president’s declaration in 2019 that Nigeria has “technically won the war” against Boko Haram, the country is still ravaged by insurgencies ranging from kidnappings to coordinated attacks on security forces and population centres. 

The recent attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train is a clear example that Nigerians will not forget for a very long time.

If holiday refers to that time of the year when one usually takes time away from home, work, or business to travel and relax, then this so-called government has betrayed Nigerians and gone on a holiday! 

Shafi’i Sheikh Jr. is a student of the Nigerian Law School, Kano Campus. He writes from Jos and can be reached via talk2sheikh.esq@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Citizens in Kahiyal in Bugaje word of Jibia, Katsina State, have bravely stood up to bandits who invaded the village to collect tax from the innocent people. 

The Daily Reality gathered that two armed bandits came into the village in broad daylight, asking people to give them money. 

The villagers feigned to oblige but only for one of them to quickly grab the bandit’s rifle while dropping the money. Other locals, who also had their weapons, helped him.

A citizen, Professor Abdussamad Umar Jibia, narrated the incident on his Facebook wall.

He said the bandits “stayed in one place and asked the villagers to contribute money and bring it to them. 

“The villagers did that. However, unfortunately for the criminals, the person who brought the money dropped it and quickly grasped the boy holding the rifle. 

“Other villagers who were ready with their local weapons rushed on the criminals and finished them off as it should be,” he said.

Insecurity and banditry are the major security issues bedevilling the northwestern part of the country, leading to thousands of deaths while numerous others are forced to migrate.

The criminals impose unlawful taxes on countless farmers and others living in the affected areas.

By Musa Kalim Gambo

Before this kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism got to this scary stage, I consider(ed) Giwa my favourite and adopted Local Government in Kaduna State. This is a place where I have the largest number of friends in Kaduna State; many of these friends have come to assume the status of brothers to me. Not long ago, I visited Giwa frequently, almost weekly.

Now all things have changed. Giwa has become an epicentre of kidnapping and terror attacks on innocent individuals. Criminals attack people at home and on their farms; kill and abduct for a huge ransom. In the past few weeks alone, the rate of this criminality has intensified geometrically. Due to this tragic development, some villagers have been forcefully displaced. They have had to migrate to the Giwa town, which is relatively safer than their communities. About 3,000 of these displaced persons now take refuge in camps in Giwa town, Marabar Yakawada, and Yakawada. While a large number of the displaced persons have also moved to stay with their relatives in neighbouring towns of Sabon Gari and Zaria in Kaduna State and Funtua in Katsina State.

The families who have been sadly uprooted from their homes have obviously been denied access to the arable rural farmlands. Beyond the refugee crisis, this will result in an attendant shortage of food in the towns, which may eventually spill over to the rest of the country. Therefore, it is evident that life will not be easy for them in their camps and the host communities.

These refugees now have to contend with the gory reality in town, that while they run for their lives, they also definitely need food, medical attention and clothes to survive in their new temporary settlement. It has been reliably reported that the Giwa Local Government Chairman, Dr Abubakar Shehu Lawal, has made provisions for feeding them at various refugee camps in Giwa and across the Local Government. Also, Senator Uba Sani is reported to have delivered some relief items to the camps. This is indeed commendable. The local politicians have indicated a high level of commitment to responding to the plight of their people in distress.

However, all these are not enough. What is needed is a total end to this incessant spate of killings and kidnappings in Giwa. Within the week, this was one of the major issues raised on the floor of the House of Representatives by Honorable Shehu Balarabe, a member representing Giwa and Birnin Gwari federal constituency, in a motion of urgent public importance. Honourable Balarabe, in a very emotional tone conveying the gravity of the situation, highlighted the depth and dimension of the troubles and crises that these banditry, kidnapping and senseless killings have plunged his constituency in both Giwa and Birnin-Gwari. He called on the Federal government to direct all the relevant agencies to swing into action in order to address the crisis.

It is sad to note that the two Local governments that Honorable Shehu Balarabe represents at the House of Representatives are the two most dangerous places in Kaduna State in terms of banditry and kidnapping today. So it is easy to understand the difficult situation in which the Honorable finds himself as one of the voices of these people in Abuja. Birnin Gwari suffers way too much from the atrocious attacks of these bandits, and it also has its refugee crisis as well. However, I write on Giwa because of my deeper connection and access to the situation there.

So to an appreciable extent, it may well be concluded that the political leaders from Giwa are playing their roles to bring an end to this madness that has continued for too long. However, what remains is the commitment on the part of the federal government, which obviously does not seem to render any positive outcome yet. There has been a military presence in Giwa and other bandit infested communities. However, it has remained a puzzle that the criminals could still carry out attacks almost every day without any hindrance.

The month of Ramadan has just begun. While we keep calling on the governments at all levels to aid these communities in crises, it is also important for us to use this holy month to pray to Allah to provide succour and restore peace and sanity in the land. It is now evident that we should no longer pray for Allah to guide these criminals aright, no! They have unleashed an unforgivable magnitude of terror on our land. The least we can do now is pray for an eternal condemnation upon them, starting from here on earth. It should also be our point of prayer that whoever supports these criminals, in whatever way or means, from their informants’ right to the supply chain of their arms and ammunition, should face eternal perdition and body crippling afflictions here on earth before they meet their worse punishment in hell.

Finally, may Allah grant our leaders the will and ability to put in place the right measures to end these killings and kidnappings. At the same time, we should assist these displaced persons with the little we have in terms of food items and clothes; I have also seen a group of youths on Facebook led by the immediate past president of the Giwa Students Association, Nuhu Haruna mobilizing funds on Facebook to assist these displaced persons. We should contribute as much as we can.

Musa Kalim Gambo writes from Zaria and can be reached via gmkalim@hotmail.com.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, warned on Tuesday that Nigeria is bleeding due to the recent wave of killings.

The All Progressives Congress’s National Leader asked everyone to join hands in the fight against banditry.

This comes as Governor Nasir el-Rufai stated that Nigeria is at a fork in the road and that the country must make a difficult decision by 2023 on who will lead the country out of its various problems.

Tinubu, who was in Kaduna for a condolence visit following the terrorist attack on a Kaduna-bound train from Abuja on March 28, donated N50 million to help the state government repair and care for the victims.

“We are facing the current challenges seriously, and we have to do more. Nigeria bleeds on behalf of everybody.

“We need to fight terrorism with all our energy and whatever we have. It’s not shameful for people to be poor, but it’s unacceptable to accept poverty as a norm.

“It’s shameful to be callous, wicked and be a bully or terror to instil fear in humanity, and it’s not acceptable,” Mr Tinubu was quoted as saying.

By Najeeb Maigatari 

The recent attack on travellers along the Abuja-Kaduna road is shocking. The fact that those ‘terrorists’ could now detonate explosives before killing and kidnapping innocent people is damming and quite alarming. It says a lot about our security system. 

It also sends a clear message to everyone that no one is safe. We are all in this mess together; the ordinary people and the ‘elites’ alike. No transportation system is secure in the country. One could now be attacked when travelling by road, railway or even by air. 

The unfortunate train attack is not the first of its kind- and will seemingly not be the last unless the needful is done. The only difference is that this time around, unlike other attacks before, the ‘terrorists’ appear well-armed, more audacious with the hunger to kill, which shows their daunting strength. 

Those terrorists have been attacking villages and killing people, especially in the northern part of the country, where such attacks have become the order of the day. They have established themselves as an authority with several villages under their control. Some of their brutal attacks and heinous crimes are underreported in the news media. 

According to the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST), in a report published from January to February, at least 1761 people lost their lives across the country in incidents related to insecurity and protracted armed violence. 

Under our noses, our beloved country, once a nation of peace and tranquillity, is gradually turning into the likes of Somalia, Libya, and Afghanistan or worse; today’s Nigeria has become a slaughterhouse, and its citizens turned into walking corpses. 

Even worse, most of those killed are people trying to make a living for themselves and their families. People are killed in their homes, offices, markets, on roads, and virtually everywhere. It’s practically killings everywhere at every turn under every circumstance. 

It suffices to conclude at the moment that there’s seemingly the creation of ‘a state within another’. On the one hand, there’s almighty sovereign Nigeria – that continually fails to protect its citizens – and on the other hand, the hypothetical terror nation ruled by such terrorists as Boko Haram, bandits, kidnappers and the likes. 

The government is evidently failing – woefully so – in its fundamental responsibility of securing the lives of citizens, as they swore to do before taking over from the previous administration. 

Therefore all hands must now be on deck to nip in the bud this issue that threatens our existence irrespective of gender, ethnicity, religious or political affiliations. 

To begin with, the government should be bold enough to fish out and address the ultimate cause of all these crises, such as answer the question as to the genesis of the terror groups, their sponsors, financial channels, sources of arms and weaponry, contacts in the community, etc. 

In addition, such factors that tend to inflame the situation as poverty, social injustice, illiteracy, etc., should also be proactively addressed by devising measures to assuage people’s suffering and displeasure. 

Furthermore, the security forces should be well equipped with state-of-the-art weapons to take the war to the terrorists’ camp. They should also engage the public as people. If people can get trained, they can be utilized for intelligence gathering, informant tracing, reporting suspicious activities, etcetera. 

In conclusion, the people should also cooperate and work hand-in-hand with security forces and other relevant government agencies in every way legally possible in order to curtail the worsening insecurity crisis ravaging the country once and for all. 

Our lives must matter as long as we continue to call this our homeland. We should not allow those ‘terrorists’ to take over our homes and rule our lives in perpetual fear. If those in authority cannot secure our lives, they should honourably step aside and let competent individuals take over the helm of affairs in the country. Enough is enough! 

Najeeb Maigatari writes from Jigawa State and could be reached via maigatari313@gmail.com.

By Mohammed Baba Goro

God knows how hard I’ve been suppressing this uncontrollable urge to write about the damning insecurity, especially that of the bandits. Yes, our hues and heys do not matter, but the sigh that comes with someone pouring the biting grief of his heart out is a relief! Again, I wouldn’t want to get emotional in doing that, but the situation of insecurity is enough to cause any well-meaning leader to lose sleep.

I felt cold when all northern leaders could give President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) during the convention as pass mark was hearty cheers, especially the remarks by the Senate President and Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State. The governor just lost over 60 vigilantes in one ambush, alongside police officers and a DPO. Yet, it all sounded like all was well with the North and the country.

The economy, insecurity, and corruption are the hallmarks promises of this administration, yet these are the areas the regime has failed the most. Even when you try to tinker with them because of some sparsely built infrastructures – though this is typical of every administration; the high economic numbers that have dragged more people into poverty keep staring at you in the face to have a second thought.

The recent attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train reaffirms that we don’t learn a lesson. The government is inactive, and this is an outright failure of leadership that has deserted the masses on the mercies of the Almighty.

All these tell us that, on the one hand, there is a disconnection between what those in the president’s echo chamber tell him and the reality the masses face. And on the other hand, the executive inaction of its leaders. If not, their remarks to Mr President at the convention shouldn’t have been praises alone but a mixture of some honest and collective concerns about the bleeding North and the urgent need to get to grips with it. 

I hope and pray Mr President will write his name in gold, at least for his last days in office, to exterminate these destructive elements and redeem the promise of peace and security he made amidst tears to his Northern kith and kins, and for him to have a befitting retirement.

Mohammed Baba Goro writes from Mokwa in Niger State. He can be reached at: mohammedbabagoro3@gmail.com.