JANUARY 18 , 2024 | EASTERN PILOT Report By: Mohammed Babangida | Terrorists, bandits, and criminals elements have taken to the streets to...
JANUARY 18 , 2024 | EASTERN PILOT
Report By: Mohammed Babangida |
Terrorists, bandits, and criminals elements have taken to the streets to perform their inglorious activities in the country, to a new dimension in the last 48 hours, wreaking mayhem in six states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja. Their deadly operations across five of the six geo-political zones of the country left no fewer than six persons dead; 60 persons kidnapped, a corpse stolen and goods worth millions of naira also stolen. The only zone not affected by the attacks was the South-South.
However, neither Force Headquarters nor Defence Headquarters, DHQ, responded to calls on an inquiry about what they were doing to stem the tide of insecurity in the country at press time yesterday. However in Abuja, kidnappers, who abducted 10 persons from an estate, Sagwari Layout, Dutse, on January 7, yesterday, reportedly killed three of their victims to send a strong warning to their relatives negotiating ransom payment. It was also gathered that the bandits had increased their ransom demand from the initial N60 million per person to N100 million, now totalling N700 million. Residents said the victims were allegedly killed over the ‘delay’ in raising the ransom demanded by the kidnappers. It was gathered that a 13-year-old high school student, identified as Folorunsho Ariyo, was among those killed.
On Sunday, reports emerged that the kidnappers who also operated in some villages in Bwari, had killed one of the six abducted persons to force the family into quickly raising the demanded ransom. Dutse is a town under the Bwari Area Council of the FCT. Pushed to the wall, residents of Sagwari Layout have perfected plans to stage a massive protest against perceived inaction of government and security agencies in rescuing their kith and kin. Initially planned for yesterday, the protest was, however, shifted to today as a result of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration.
Bandits kill 3, abduct 50 including 36 women in Zamfara community. On Zamfara State, no fewer than 36 women in Magizawa community of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area, were abducted by bandits on Sunday night. Local vigilantes alleged that they and some security personnel were overwhelmed by the bandits who invaded the community, killed three, including a vigilante leader and wounded two others. The Police were yet to get details of the attack, according to the Zamfara Police spokesperson, ASP Yazid Abubakar in a chat with journalists.
However, a vigilante, who survived the attack, said they were taken unawares when the bandits took control of the community, went from house to house and forced the locals, majority of whom were women, to follow them into the bush. “They abducted about 50 people and 36 were women. We tried to fight them but they took us unaware and got mixed up with members of the community. In the process, they killed one of our bravest members and two others, they also injured two others. They broke into houses that were locked and abducted locals,” he said.
Bandits raid military camp, unleash mayhem on Katsina community. In like manner, armed bandits stormed a joint military camp in Nahuta village, Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State on Sunday night, leaving a trail of destruction and looted goods. Sources in the camp said the attack occurred around 11:30 pm. The heavily-armed bandits wielding AK-47 rifles among other weapons reportedly set ablaze vehicles and other valuables. Despite being outnumbered, courageous soldiers managed to repel the assault as no life was lost.
“The bandits outweighed us and invaded the camp, causing considerable damage,” a source revealed, and lamented lack of reinforcement throughout the encounter. Taking advantage of the chaos, the bandits unleashed further mayhem on Nahuta town. They ransacked shops, broke into houses, and looted properties and livestock worth millions of naira, leaving residents traumatized and dispossessed. At the time of this report, security agencies were yet to officially comment on the attack.
Police confirm abduction of mother, son in Zaria. In neighbouring Kaduna State, the Police Command confirmed the abduction of Halimatu Sa’adiya Bello and her 17-year-old son, Yusuf Bello, at Dogarawa area, Sabon Gari LGA. ASP Mansur Hassan, the command’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria in Zaria, yesterday, saying the police had swung into action in an effort to rescue the victims. He advised the public to be more vigilant and report any suspicious movement to security agencies. Malam Gafai Katsina, the Chairman, Security Committee of residents of the area, said that the bandits, who were 15 in number and armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed Dogarawa New Layout at about 2 a.m.
“They entered the house of Alhaji Bello and abducted the victims, attacked Adamu Bello with matchets on his hand; Adamu Bello is receiving treatment at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, ABUTH, Shika, Zaria. The bandits did not abduct the two tenants residing in the house, they tied them and locked them in their rooms,” he said.
On Januaery 04, 2024, Terrorists attack Nigerian community for failing to pay ‘terror levy’, kill 10. A terror group led by a notorious kingpin, Damina, has killed 10 residents of Kwanar Dutse in Zamfara State after the community failed to pay the N20 million levy he imposed on them some weeks ago. Mr Damina led hundreds of fighters into the community a few minutes after 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Kwanar Dutse in the Dansadau emirate of Maru Local Government Area is one of the most attacked communities in the state.
A resident of Kwanar Dutse who asked not to be named for security reasons told PREMIUM TIMES over the phone that the attackers stormed the community after the early evening Islamic prayer. “We were sitting down outside a mosque when the terrorists drove into the community from all corners and started shooting indiscriminately. Some of our vigilantes tried to fight back but the terrorists have more weapons. I ran into my house and waited for my fate,” the resident, a community leader, said. The terrorists burnt down some shops and houses in the community during the attack, residents said. The community leader said his cousin was one of those killed by the terrorists during the assault that lasted for hours.
Another resident of Dansadau town who also asked not to be named for security reasons said his house is filled with refugees from Kwanar Dutse. “Residents of Malele, Ruwan Tofa, Mutunji and Kwana and most of the communities in the northern part (of Dansadau) are in a critical situation because they’ve become easy targets for the terrorists especially those under Damina. They routinely impose huge levies running into millions of naira on the communities and when they fail to pay, they descend and kill them like animals,” he said. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that several people from the community were also abducted by the terrorists.
“It was terrible,” the Dansadau resident said. “One of the women in my house lost her son and two of her daughters have been abducted. The situation is critical. We could only help them with where to live temporarily.” The police spokesperson in the state, Yazid Abubakar, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to him on the attack. In November last year, Mr Damina’s group abducted over 100 residents of Mutunji and two other communities in Dansadau emirate after the community failed to pay levies imposed on them for allegedly revealing information on terrorists’ movements to security agents.
What began as farmers-herders clashes in Zamfara State around 2011 has snowballed into terrorism, locally called banditry. The terrorists engage in kidnap for ransom, cattle rustling, armed robbery and other forms of criminalities. The activities of terrorists have led to the death and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in Nigeria’s north-west region.
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