The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu, has said that the lingering banditry in the North-West and North-Central Nigeria has an international dimension.
Adamu said this during a town-hall meeting on peace and security held on Wednesday in Zuru, Kebbi State.
“We have realised that most of the banditry has an international dimension. The bandits come from outside the country. We arrested Sudanese, Nigeriens and Malians, among other nationals.
“Also we believe that because of what is happening in the North-East and the fact that the military troops are doing a great job in the fight against insurgency there, most of the bandits are running toward the North-West of the country and we have evidence.
“When we operated in Kaduna, Birnin Gwari, where we attacked a group of bandits, we realised that most of them came from Islamic State of West Africa, who are terrorists, kidnapping for ransom.
“So, the issue is not at the level you are looking at it, it is a big issue and we must work together to address it.
“This is why President Muhammadu Buhari does not rest because of these complaints coming from the North-West
and North-Central on banditry,” the IGP said.
Adamu urged every Nigerian to see the fight against insecurity as a collective responsibility.
Three soldiers and a vigilante have been killed by gunmen in an attempt to rescue two kidnapped foreign nationals.
According to reports, the foreign nationals were kidnapped in Yakila village in Rafi local government area of Niger state.
It was learnt that the gunmen had kidnapped the foreigners who are road contractors working on the reconstruction of the road from Yakila to Tegina when they attacked the construction site in their numbers on motorcycles.
It was gathered that both the soldiers and vigilante member were at Yakila to rescue the kidnapped victims but were killed in an exchange of gunfire with the bandits.
Attempts to reach the Niger state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Wasiu Abiodun failed as he didn’t respond to his call nor respond to messages sent to him.
However, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello on Security matters, Rt. Colonel Mohammed Maikundi confirmed the incident.
He said security agencies mobilised and restrategized thereafter moved to the area where they also killed some bandits.
The Katsina State Police Command says it has killed eight suspected bandits in Batsari local government area of the state.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Gambo Isah.disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Katsina.
He said that on Aug. 6, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Batsari, led Operation Puff Adder to Zamfarawa village based on a report that bandits numbering over 40, armed with AK 47 rifles attacked the village.
He said that the bandits shot to death one Shafi’i Suleiman, 65 and Yakubu Idris, 70, adding that they also rustled a number of cows in the area.
According to him, the police team was ambushed by the bandits on their way to the village, adding that the team responded and killed one of the bandits, while others escaped with gunshot wounds.
Isah further revealed that the team recovered 30 cows stolen from the village by the bandits.
Subsequently, he explained that on Aug. 7, “search parties led by the DPO and members of the community recovered additional seven corpses of the bandits who escaped with gunshot wounds at Barankada village, also in Batsari local government area,” he said.
Isah said that police recovered the sum of N22,300, 13 empty shells of live ammunition of 7.62mm as well as bunch of charms and keys from the bodies of the dead bandits.
Fourteen people, including 13 members of the same family were murdered in an early morning attack by suspected bandits on Wednesday in Agudu, in the Kogi/Kotonkarfe Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ede Ayuba, while briefing newsmen on the activities of the command, said “the 13 family members were wiped out” by the attackers, adding that another person was killed, while six persons sustained injuries.
He said when the police got to the village, the bandits had left, adding that sanity had been restored to the area.
The CP, who noted that the attack could have been triggered by age-long communal disputes in the community, described it as unfortunate.
He said, “A man and 12 family members were killed. His son is the only survivor. Another person was killed, while those injured have been taken to the hospital.”
The police chief further revealed that the killers of the late Innocent Ofodile, owner of popular Chuck’s Supermarket in Lokoja, who was murdered on Lokoja-Abuja Road, had been arrested.
He explained that one Vincent Omogor, who was detained for kidnapping, confessed that he and his gang members were responsible for the killing of Offodile.
Defence Headquarters on Wednesday said that the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji has destroyed a bandits’ camp in Kagara Forest in Zamfara State, killing several hoodlums.
The airstrike was carried out on July 20, Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche said in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Enenche said the air interdiction mission was conducted after intelligence reports indicated heavy presence of the armed bandits, along with a large number of rustled livestock, in a portion of the forest.
He said the intelligence was later confirmed by series of aerial surveillance missions, leading to the air bombardment of the location.
He said the component dispatched Nigerian Air Force fighter jets to engage the location, with their ammunition hitting targets, leading to the killing of some of the armed bandits.
“Some of them who were seen attempting to escape camouflaged in between the livestock were taken out in follow-on attacks.”
…we just registered 420 Households, 851 persons in the camp says officials…
…my daughter was chased and stabbed and left to drawn in River Kaduna, woman cry out…..
……Zonkwa Now hosting 13 Communities displaced by herdsmen attack….
By Emmanuel Bagudu
From Thursday 9th July up till Sunday (today) 12 July, major communities under curfew in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area in Southern Kaduna have been tensed. No thanks to the latest herdsmen attack which began on Thursday and continued on Friday in Chibob and it’s neighbourhood all in Zangon Kataf without security interventions as at the time of writing this report.
Over 420 households made up of 851 persons from 13 communities in Zangon Kataf have abandoned their communities to nearby Zonkwa, the headquarters of the local government where an emergency internally displaced persons (IDP) camp was created by some residents.
Correspondent, Emmanuel Bagudu who drove from Kaduna to meet the affected victims in their various locations of refuge presents this report.
Fear, anxiety and indignation best describes the surviving victims of Chibob and 12 other communities in Zangon Kataf Local Government who were attacked on Thursday and Friday by bandits they described as herdsmen.
The Victims who laments the lost of their loved once from the attack are indignant; they are shocked that despite the 24 hours curfew imposed by the State government, hardened criminals had a field day in their communities without apprehension.
It was an emotional experience while trying to gather facts as more survivors of the attack keep arriving as at 10 am on Sunday Morning when I arrived the camp located at the ECWA Christian Academy, Zonkwa.
Being an indigene of Zangon Kataf Local Government with fluency in Atyap and Bajju tribes and with mild understanding of Ikulu and Kamatan tribes as well as Chawai, a tribe from neighbouring Kauru Local Government, I knew gathering real facts and listening to people’s story will be quite adventurous.
While embarking on the journey to Zangon Kataf, a lot of fake news and misconceptions about the attack was already making the rounds in the State capital Kaduna.
“Be careful,” a friend warned me before I left.
A lot of persons living in the Kaduna metropolis believe the place is a war zone since the discovery of the corps of one Mr Yusuf Shehu Magaji in June this year, at a river bank in the border between Zangon Kataf and Kauru Local Government area of Kaduna State.
It was gathered that Mr Magaji’s demise was as a result of a clash over a piece of farmland between him (Magaji) and some Hausa-Fulani men, hence the imposition of the 24 hour curfew, which the State government is yet to relax.
Although Magaji is from the Chawai speaking tribe (Kauru LGA), he was born and brought up in Sako, a land of the Atyaps (Kataf) in Zangon Kataf, who are known to be very revengeful and repulsive to the Hausa-Fulanis whenever they temper with the lives and property of their kinsmen or anyone close to them.
All was set. I covered a total distance of 200 kilometres from Sabon Tasha Kaduna to Zonkwa, to Yabak, Takanai Zango, Sako, (asha-a-wuce), Sabon Kaura and Chibob, the most affected village in the attack.
Sabon Kaura and Chibob are the only communities attacked but residents neighbouring the two villages who claimed they received threats messages of attack by herders have to join the Chibobs to throng the Zonkwa IDP camp.
Before reaching Chibob, I touched down at Zonkwa where over a thousand persons from 13 villages, including Chibob were all at the ECWA Christian Academy IDP Camp. They were mostly made up of women and children.
Zachariah Danjuma, an official of the Camp narrated how they saw the IDPs moving en masse from Gora, (a transit village) on foot.
“They were all angry at the State government” Danjuma said, adding that “so far we have registered 420 households, 851 persons in the camp, we have the following Communities mostly women and Children….The men stayed behind to provide vigilante in case of further attacks”.
He identified the fleeing communities in the camp which includes Sabon Kaura, Chibob, Takanai, Warkan, Ramin Kura, Sabafan, Sako, Yabak, Bafai Gida, Kurmin Gandu, Mayinyubi (Bakin Kogi-Kauru LGA) and Unwgan Rohogo.
“We brought them here in the camp yesterday Saturday and as you can see, more are still coming in,” he said.
Breast feeding mothers and children between the ages of 3 to 19 are the most populated in the camp. Religious Organisations and individuals that came visiting had already started sending in donations to the camp in either cash or kind.
“We have received mattresses from Deborah Arise Ministry, and a lot of people come to give us little cash just like you just did,” Danjuma said.
I was taken round classes in the camp which are now converted to shelter for the IDPs and in each class, the IDPs had a lot of stories to tell.
For Mrs Murna Tabat, she witnessed the killing of up to four people while trying to escape for her dare life.
Tabat who spoke in Atyap (Kataf) language narrated how the attackers took advantage of the river Kaduna, which flows and passed through Chibob community.
She said the only way to flee from the attackers was through the river Kaduna, which is already heading towards overflowing due to heavy rains.
A woman at the IDP narrates her ordeal (SEE ATTACHED VIDEO)
That meant only those who could swim the already “tempest looking river” survived the attack, but since the attack was fragmented, some people manage to escape without following through the river, other survivors said.
“My daughter while running was stabbed and as she ran towards the river (river Kaduna), she drowned…. we have buried her before coming,” Mrs Tabat said agonizingly.
For his Part, Timothy Musa a resident of Takanai, said “….the attack took place in Chibob on Thursday, and on Friday. Same attack took place in Sabon Kaura… where houses were burnt….”
This according to Musa made the remaining neighbouring communities to flee for safety since they have already received threatening signs of impending attacks.
Without much-a-do at the IDP camp in ECWA Christian Academy Zonkwa, I proceeded to the communities to see for myself.
From Zonkwa to the 13 communities is just less than 20 kilometres with several shortcuts. I drove from Zonkwa to Ungwan Wakili where I switched to a motorcycle for shortcuts purposes.
From Ungwan Wakili, one can head towards Yabak and Takanai through an untarred road just in front of ECWA church Ungwan Wakili. I moved and all I could see were fierce-looking youths mounting roadblocks and making enquiries. All you need to do is to respond to them in Atyap (Kataf) language and you are free to go. You dare not record anything or risk losing your life irrespective of the language you speak.
I rode passed several youths until I reached Yabak village. All I saw are men and youths on patrol. Just after Yabak is Takanai. Youths from the 13 communities engaged in a massive patrol.
“We are looking for Fulani men that attacked us last two nights,” one of the youths who pleaded anonymity said.
Asked whether they have seen any security person around, he said, “yes they just left for Chibob, where the real thing happened. Here, we are just defending. They told us they are coming, but we have not seen them (referring to the bandits)”.
All the villages are attached to each other. I was told by a community head who also pleaded anonymity that only Chibob and Sabon Kaura were attacked, but since the remaining communities are neighbouring them, and have received threatening signs, everyone had to run for their lives.
In Chibob and Sabon Kaura, it’s a mourning mood. Security men have already taken positions. I was interrogated, but being an indigene of Magamiya and born and brought in Zangon Kataf and with valid means of identification, I exonerated myself.
It is a very precarious situation right now in Zangon Kataf and only the Atyap speaking tribe are directly affected.
A lot of questions are being asked such as: what happened to the curfew imposed in the local government with strict reference to the Atyap chiefdom?
It is the peak of the raining season; will the State government allow bandits deny residents of their only source of livelihoods which is farming?
All these and many more questions remained unanswered as the IDPs at ECWA Christian Academy Zonkwa also look forward to reuniting with their fathers and brothers soon.
The Defence Headquarters says the air component of Operation Hadarin Daji has destroyed two bandits’ camps and a cave hideout led by Hassan Tagwaye in Doumborou Forest, Zamfara State.
The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, in a statement on Thursday said the air interdiction missions were conducted by the troops under the subsidiary Operation Wutan Daji on June 23.
Enenche said the airstrikes resulted in the killing of some key armed bandits’ leaders as well as several of their fighters after series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions.
He said the intelligence report led to the identification of the camps and a cave where the bandits store their weapons as well as hide to evade attacks.
According to him, the Air Component dispatched an enhanced force package of fighter jets and helicopter gunships to attack the location.
He said: “At the first camp, some bandits, who had assembled for a meeting near one of the huts, were neutralized by the attack aircraft.
“At the second camp, a suspected high-value bandits’ leader along with some weapon-bearing fighters were seen in the vicinity of some huts.
“The attack aircraft engaged the target structures, scoring accurate hits and taking out the huts along with their occupants.
“The NAF jets also later recorded direct hits on the suspected bunker, from where some of the bandits were seen emerging, completely destroying it.
“Human Intelligence reports later confirmed that Hassan Tagwaye and his twin brother Hussain along with several other bandits were neutralized in the airstrikes, while a few escaped with injuries.”
Enenche urged the people in the affected areas to report those with sudden and suspicious injuries to the security forces to ensure that the escapees were mopped up.
He said the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, had urged the troops to remain resolute in the conduct of air strikes whilst continuing to provide close air support for ongoing ground operations in order to eradicate all armed bandits.
The Abubakar Shekau faction of Boko Haram, Jama’atu Ahlussunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, has invited bandits to join them.
The faction wooed armed groups terrorising the North West and North Central in a new video.
The regions have been under unabated attacks by bandits who kill, rape, injure the people, burn houses and rustle cattle, sheep, etc.
The insurgents specifically urged outlaws in Zamfara and Niger States, to partner with Boko Haram.
According to Daily Post, the footage shows four masked men speaking in English, Hausa, Fulfulde and French, HumAngle reports.
One of them said “brothers in Lake Chad, my brothers in Cameroon, my brothers in Sambisa, my brothers in Niger State, my brothers in Zamfara State…to strive harder for the sake of Allah”.
He said everything being done “is for the cause of Allah, and I encourage you to keep doing it. Strive harder, because Allah instructed us in the Holy Quran to strive harder for His cause.”
“You feel we kill. You feel we destroy. Allah has instructed us to kill everyone that is unbelieving,” the speaker declared.
He added that they were fine “and we hope you are also in a good state of health. We thank God who put us on this path, in this time, to promote His words and institute His law”.
The insurgent said his “second message” was to the people of Nigeria, Cameroon, and the whole world.
“We call you to join us to institute Sharia globally. When you come, we will accept you according to (Shari’ah) law, and we (will) worship Allah as He commands us.”
The Police Command in Katsina State, on Wednesday said that Monday’s attack by bandits has led to the death of 18 people in Kadisau village, Faskari Local Government Area of the state.
SP Gambo Isah, the command’s Public Relations Officer confirmed this while fielding questions from journalists in Katsina.
Isah said that the armed bandits numbering over 200 attacked the village on Monday, but their attempt to steal food items and other commodities was resisted by the unarmed villagers.
“Unfortunately, the bandits began shooting them with rifles, killing 14 people on the spot.
“The bandits injured 26 others who were taken to the hospital for medical treatment.
“This morning, I spoke with the Area Commander in Funtua who told me that additional four persons died in the hospital, bringing the number of those who died from the attack to 18,” he said.
Isah said that the police, military and other security agents are doing their best to protect lives and property of the residents, particularly in those frontline local government areas.
“President Buhari has already directed the Service Chiefs, including the Inspector General of Police to deploy more personnel to bring an end to the problem.
“They are already here and different operations are ongoing. We have captured so many bandits camps, for instance, we have captured Dunya camp, which for the past 10-years cannot be reached by anybody.
“We have seized so many weapons from the bandits, killed a number of them and recovered many animals rustled into the area.
“What is happening now is like the bandits want to ridicule us, we are there doing our best.
“There are over 5,000 villages sharing borders with Rugu forest and other neighbouring states such as Zamfara and Niger Republic,” the command spokesperson said.
He pointed out that the security agents could not be at all those places at a point.
The PPRO urged people to provide security agents with credible information about the plans, movements and activities of the bandits.
“Our emergency line is 08156977777. Tell us what is happening in your area or what is going to happen,” Isah said.
He urged people to cooperate with security agents to bring an end to banditry and all forms of criminalities.
Airstrikes conducted by the Air Component of the Operation Hadarin Daji, have destroyed bandits’ camps and weapons at Tsibiri and Manya in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, the Armed Forces of Nigeria has said.
Scores of the armed bandits were killed in the Operation, which is part of the newly launched Operation Accord, according to a statement by the Coordinator Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche.
According to the statement: “The air interdiction mission at Tsibiri, which is located 15Km East of Zurmi, was executed on the heels of credible Human Intelligence (HUMINT) reports indicating that the camp, with its clusters of thatched huts nestled close to a group of trees, was being used by the bandits to house their fighters and store their weapons and ammunition.
“Accordingly, two Nigerian Air Force attack helicopters were dispatched to engage the location scoring accurate hits on the target area leading to the destruction of the structures and the weapons and ammunition stored in them as well as the neutralization of bandits in the huts and surrounding bushes.
“The attack helicopters later conducted an air strike on another camp South of Manya, which also resulted in the killing of more armed bandits, including some of their leaders, as they gathered for a meeting at the location.
“The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, commends the Air Component of Operation HADARIN DAJI for their professionalism and directs them to remain resolute whilst continuing to provide close air support for ongoing ground operations, towards accomplishing the directives of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to restore normalcy in the North West and North Central Zones of the country”.
![EXCLUSIVE: Over 20 killed, 851 persons displaced as bandits unleash mayhem in Kaduna [PHOTOS/VIDEOS]](https://thenewsguru.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/kaduna.jpg)
