AUSTIN OBOH
Nigerian troops have intensified its offensive against bandits and terrorists in the last few days and raised hopes of a final routing of the criminals that have made the country a living hell for most of its citizens. On Wednesday, this week, President Muhammadu Buhari vowed to hand over a country free from insecurity to the next generation of leaders. He stated this during the inauguration of the Emblem Appeal Fund, which preceded the meeting of the Federal Executive Council. In October, during the 2022 National Honours Award Investiture, held at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Buhari had restated a pledge he made during his Independence Day speech to free the country of insecurity. Some critics claim that the recent successes were indications that the military was finally finding its bearings but it is yet difficult to point out the factors that have influenced this.
The Fall Of Terror Kingpins
Kachalla Gudau, a dreaded bandit who commanded a large number of foot soldiers carrying out kidnappings and killings in Chikun, Kachia, and Kajuru Local Government Areas, was among the bandits killed by troops of the Nigerian Army on Sunday at Kankomi in Kaduna State. The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in the state, Samuel Aruwan, said on Wednesday that diligent exploitation of human intelligence networks corroborated by other pieces of available intelligence, confirmed that Gudau was indeed one of those felled by the bullets of the courageous soldiers as they repelled an attack led by the notorious bandit himself, ending his ignoble reign of brutality and evil.
He said the remains of the notorious bandit — who was said to have links with other notorious kingpins across the North-West and North-Central states — were retrieved in the Kankomi forest where he bled to death. Aruwan added that credible sources reported that after his remains were retrieved, a large number of bandits under his command buried him in a location said to be around Kaku forest situated in Kaso general area of the Chikun LGA of the state.
According to him, the identity of another of the neutralised bandits, whose remains were found by the troops, had been confirmed as ‘Rigimamme’ one of Gudau’s trusted criminal aides.
The commissioner said: “Gudau played leading roles in the joint kidnappings of students and expatriates in Kajuru, Chikun and Kachia councils, aside the murders of kidnapped citizens and victims who resisted abduction.
“Added to these nefarious activities, Gudau was engaged in coordinated attacks on herder settlements, disposing them of livestock, which made him the illegal possessor of large herds of cattle. These he regularly traded for amounts running into millions of naira. He also made deals for illicit drugs and acquisition of sophisticated arms and ammunition.
“The high point of his cattle rustling spree came in the first and second quarters of 2022, where in Kajuru LGA alone, Gudau and his partners rustled 1,600 and 3,332 cattle respectively, a total of 4,932 cows stolen in the first six months of 2022.
“With the ongoing aggressive kinetic operations, Gudau’s cattle rustling — in Kajuru LGA particularly — began to wane, as 132 cattle were rustled in the third quarter of 2022 (the period spanning July, August and September).
“The heat of the kinetic operations which denied his bandits freedom of action may have prompted the attack on the military base in Kankomi, where he met his waterloo.
“The resolve of Governor Nasir El-Rufai to pursue the containment of terrorism, and all forms of crime threatening the security and safety of citizens, remains unshakeable. The government of Kaduna State under his watch will continue to support security forces on all fronts.
“The inglorious end of Kachalla Gudau is a welcome development and a clear statement that those who pose a threat to security and safety will certainly have a date with history, and will be made to face justice or their bitter end, no matter how distant it might seem.”
Last week, troops had killed another notorious terrorist commander, ‘Dogo Maikasuwa’, in a forest at the Gengere-Kaso general area, around the Chikun and Kajuru boundaries in Kaduna State.
Dogo Maikasuwa, it was gathered, led a series of deadly operations in the Chikun and Kajuru Local Government Areas of the state, worst hit by terrorist activities over the years.
Aruwan, who disclosed this on Friday, said the notorious terrorist commander and his foot soldiers ran into an ambush laid by the troops where he met his end. According to the commissioner, scores of Dogo Maikasuwa’s foot soldiers escaped into the forest with gunshot wounds.
“The other bandits escaped with gun wounds. It was further gathered that one of them died from injuries sustained in the fierce battle, with his remains carried away by other fleeing elements,” he said.
According to the commissioner, items recovered from the terrorists include one AK-47 rifle, one magazine, five rounds of ammunition, two motorcycles and one set of camouflage military fatigues.
The development, the commissioner said, excited the state governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, who praised the gallantry of the troops.
The commissioner said, “After an era of terrorising citizens and evading security forces, the Kaduna State Government can authoritatively report that the notorious bandit commander known as ‘Dogo Maikasuwa’ has met his end.
“The development was made known in operational feedback from security agencies. Painstaking investigations revealed atrocities he carried out with impunity in hard-to-reach locations.
“Dogo Maikasuwa, also known as ‘Dogo Maimillion’, led series of attacks and kidnappings of citizens plying the Kaduna-Kachia Road, and in communities within Chikun and Kajuru LGAs. He was one of the deadliest bandits leading other elements in terrorising citizens of these general areas.
“According to human intelligence sources, he was always dressed in green camouflage military fatigues and wielding an AK47 rifle. It was also learnt that he led members of his group to engage in operations with cruelty, often killing kidnapped victims when ransoms were delayed or considered meagre.
“In his final stand, the notorious bandit in the company with his foot soldiers ran into an ambush laid by operatives in a forest in the Gengere-Kaso general area, around the Chikun and Kajuru boundaries.
“The security forces after the fierce battle successfully neutralised the bandits’ leader and recovered one AK-47 rifle, one magazine, five rounds of ammunition, two motorcycles and one set of camouflage military fatigues.”
Widening The Attack Net
On Monday, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) declared wanted 19 suspected terrorists while placing a bounty of N5million on each of them. The names of the suspected terrorists were in a poster released by Jimmy Akpor, director of Defence Information. The wanted terrorists were said to have been terrorising Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara states.
The DHQ promised to reward anyone who had information that could lead to the arrest of one of the suspected terrorists with the sum of N5 million.
Ado Aliero, who was turbaned in July 2022 as Sarkin Fulani in Zamfara is one of the wanted terrorists. Ado Aliero was turbaned Sarkin Fulani by the emir of Yantodo in Zamfara State. The event was reportedly attended by government officials and some security personnel operating within the area. He was turbaned after the Nigerian Police declared him wanted and placed a N5m bounty on his head for killing and maiming residents of Zamfara State.
He was turbaned on 16 July 2022 barely two years after the Nigerian Police declared him wanted and placed N5 million bounty on him.
Aliero who is the leader of one of the ruthless groups responsible for the killings, maiming and kidnappings in local communities of Zamfara and Katsina states was turbaned in an event fully attended by State government officials and the security personnel amid wild celebration of motorbike stunts.
In June 2020, the then commissioner of Police in Katsina State, Sanusi Buba, while declaring Mr Alero wanted said: “The command hereby wishes to declare Adamu Aliero, 45, of Yankuzo village of Tsafe local government area of Zamfara State wanted.
“Aliero, is a notorious leader of groups of bandits terrorising Katsina and Zamfara states. Similarly, the command has placed bounty of N5 million on his head, dead or alive.
Any person or group of persons that have useful information that may lead to his arrest, should please report to the nearest police station or call these numbers: 08033666059 or 08035448128 or 08076666207,” he told reporters.
Those on the wanted list include Sani Dangote from Dumbarum village in Zurmi LGA of Zamfara, Bello Turji Gudda from Fakai in Zamfara, Leko from Mozoj village in Mutazu LGA of Katsina State, Dogo Nahali from Yar Tsamiyar village in Kankara LGA of Katsina state, Halilu Sububu from Sububu Village in Maradun LGA of Zamfara.
Others include, Nagona from Angwan Galadima in Icsa LGA of Sokoto state, Nasanda from KCwashabawa Village in Zurmi LGA of Zamara, Isiya Kwashen Garwa from Kamfanin Daudawa village of Faskari in Katsina state, Ali Kachalla, aka Ali Kawaje from Kuyambara village in Dansadau Maru of Zamfara.
Also on the list are Abu Radde from Varanda village in Batsari LGA of Katsina State, Dan-Da from Varanda village in Batsari LGA of Katsina, Sani Gurgu from Varanda village in Batsari LGA of Katsina, Umaru Dan Nigeria from Rafi Village in Mada District of Gusau, Zamfara, Alhaji Ado Aliero from Yankuzo village in Tsafe LGA of Zamfara, Monore from Yantumaki Village in Dan LGA, Katsina state, Gwaska Dankarami from Shamushele village in Zuri LGA of Zamfara,Baleri from Shinkafi LGA of Zamfara, Mamudu Tainange from Varanda village in Batsari LGA of Katsina state and Nagala from Maru LGA of Zamfara.
Commendations Over Successful Operations
Following the recent successes, the Arewa Citizens Action for Good Governance lauded the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, and soldiers of the Nigeria Army for their efforts in the fight against banditry and other forms of criminalities in the country. The group stated that the zeal and commitment of the Nigerian Army is indeed laudable, and responsible for the numerous gains recorded so far in parts of the North-West and other areas of the country.
The president of the group, in a statement, commended the Chief of Army Staff for his courage in leading the war against banditry through ingenious ways.
He said: “He has displayed passion for service to the country such as coordinating the battles from the front and entrenching a regime of collaboration with sister security agencies in the country. This has resulted in coordinated and strategic efforts at ridding the country of bandits and criminal activities.
“We also commend officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army for their gallant displays in taking the battle to the bandits in their enclaves, dislodging them and liberating communities from their nefarious activities. This is commendable, and an indication that in no distant time, activities of bandits and other criminal elements will be a thing of the past.
“We therefore encourage the army chief to continue to render service to the country in addressing the security challenges in the country.”
The group also called on all stakeholders to continue to support the operations of the Nigerian Army in the war against banditry and other acts of criminalities in the country.
“We, the Arewa Citizens Action for Good Governance, pledge our continuous support for Nigerian Army’s operations in the country’s war against banditry,” the statement said.
Why They Operate
In July, this year, bandit leader Aliero had revealed the reason they attack rural communities. He stated that the attack on rural communities was a demonstration of their grievances to the government.
Over 30,000 bandits, according to BBC Hausa report, were now spreading to other neighbouring states.
Aliero told the BBC that anytime they were seen taking up arms and attacking rural communities, that is the only way they can show their grievances to the authorities.
One of his associates said that they of the Fulani stock were no longer important in Nigeria. He lamented over lack of grazing areas for their cattle which he alleged, were taken over by farmers. He said many of their cattle that were grazing near the railway have been killed by moving trains.
According to Aleru, he had never kidnapped anyone or participated in doing so.
”I myself, I’ve never kidnapped .But the boys do, not me. Mine is just to go and shoot them. Truly, I cannot count the number of those Vigilantes that I’ve killed. To tell the truth, I don’t know the number of those that I killed, now,” he said.
Speaking to the BBC, another terrorist, Abu Sani said he was the person that mastermind the kidnap of the female students in a girl’s boarding school at Jengebe.
He said during the dry season the government was sending troops to disturb them and they therefore decided to kidnap the Jengebe female students so as to humiliate the government.
He said they attacked the school because the government was not allowing them.to stay in their homes, adding that even though they had apologized, embarking on such missions never gave them any worries.
In Zamfara State alone, kidnapping for ransom has turned into a business which had displaced over 1 million people from their abodes.
Abu Sani said they had earlier demanded for N200 million ransom before they would release the Jengebe female students.
“But they asked some people to plead with us and we collected N60 million. We used the money to buy more arms,” he said.
Although the Government of Zamfara State denied paying any ransom, Abu Sani insisted that “they paid N60 million”. “I collected the money with my own hands. We bought more guns with the money,” he said.
Also, bandit kingpin, Abu Sanni, in a documentary released by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Africa Eye, said insecurity in Nigeria had become a business everyone, including the government, benefitted from.
Yusuf Anka, a journalist who crisscrossed remote bandit enclaves in the state, undertook the 50 minutes documentary titled, The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara.
The BBC documentary shed light on the mindset of bandit leaders, the booming nature of the kidnap-for-ransom business and how insecurity in Zamfara State may have been triggered by ethnic conflict between Hausa and Fulani groups.
The bandits who spoke with the BBC team accused the government of neglecting them and giving priority to the Hausa community.
Sanni said the kidnap of 279 schoolgirls on February 27, 2021, in Jangebe, Talata-Mafara Local Council area, Zamfara State, by his gang was done to disgrace the government as revenge for sending the military after them.
He said his gang demanded N300 million from the government for the release of the schoolgirls but N60 million was paid. “When the rainy season ended, they sent the military after us. We decided to show the government they should not interfere in our problems. We went to Jangebe and took the students. We wanted to get the government angry,” he said.
“We demanded N300 million but after negotiations, N60 million was paid for their release.”
When asked what the money for the ransom was used for, he said the proceeds was spent on buying riffles. “Everyone is benefiting from terrorism in Nigeria, including the government, from top to bottom. The government get money, though, for our money, blood spill.”
Indeed, it’s been a booming business for the bandits and their collaborators. But perhaps the most daring of the bandits’ attacks so far was the attack on an Abuja-Kaduna passenger train on March 28, 2022, in which about 14 persons were killed and 63 officially declared abducted.
It was estimated that over N6billion was paid to the terrorists to set most of their captives free.
In August, President Buhari said his decision to stop maximum use of military force against terrorists to rescue victims of the Kaduna train attack was to avoid collateral damage.
The president, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said: “I have been informed that at last count, there remained about 31 people in the hands of the kidnappers and our determination is to work towards returning these 31 people to their families.
“It is understandable that emotions typically run high, we have received several suggestions about the deployment of lethal military force in extracting those still being held in captivity. This option has, indeed, been considered and evaluated.
“However, the condition to guarantee a successful outcome and minimize potential collateral damage could not be assured and, therefore, that course of action had to be reluctantly discarded. My primary concern is to get everyone released safe and unhurt.”
The Optics Are Good
On Thursday, the Defence Headquarters said the military had eliminat-ed more than 50 terrorists and rescued 50 victims in land and air offensives in North-East and North- West in the last two weeks.
The Director, Defence Me¬dia Operations, Maj.-Gen. Musa Danmadami, made this known at a bi-weekly news briefing on the operations of the armed forces in Abuja.
In the North-East, Dan¬madami said the troops of Op¬eration Hadin Kai neutralised 13 terrorists, apprehended 10 and rescued 41 victims in land operations across the theatre during the period.
He also said that more than 13 terrorists were eliminated in air bombardments at Belowa and Ngwuri Gana in Abadan and Bama Local Government Area of Borno on November 4 and 5.
He said that feedback from the airstrikes revealed that key members of Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Shura Council, Mallam Ali Kwaya and Mallam Bukar Mainoka were among those neutralised.
According to him, the air¬strikes targeted two ISWAP terrorists vehicles observed to be conveying about 13 injured terrorists that survived the ini¬tial strike to another hideout.
“At Ngwuri Gana in Bama, the convergence of a large group of ISWAP insurgents in 15 trucks who were armed with assorted weapons, arriv-ing from different locations to attack an unspecified location within the general area was bombarded.
“Feedback revealed that scores of the terrorists were neutralised, and all their struc¬tures and vehicles engulfed in fire,” he said.
Danmadami revealed that a total of 250 Boko Haram/ ISWAP members and their families comprising of 43 adult males, 80 adult females and 121 children surrendered to the troops at different locations within the theatre.
He said that about N13.8 million, various categories of arms and ammunitions as well as logistics supplies were cap¬tured from the terrorists and their collaborators during the period.
According to him, troops res¬cued a family of 29 which com¬prised two adult male, 15 adult females and 12 children from terrorists during the period.
In North-West, Danmadami said the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji had on Novem¬ber 9 tracked and apprehend¬ed two suspected gun runners at Kude town in Chikun Local Government Area of Kadu¬na State with 400 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition in a truck and the sum of N1 million.
Critics say with the recent successful operations, there’s hope that the military is approaching the fight against terror and banditry with greater fervour and more effective strategies, noting that only when this stage is consolidated would President Buhari’s promise to erase the country’s biggest security threats before May
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