Crime & SecurityNewsTerrorists Kill 360 People; Abduct 1,389 Others In Three Months

KADUNA — The Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has raises over the presence of Boko Haram and the Ansaru terrorists in Birnin-Gwari and Giwa local government areas of the state.

The governor raised the alarm on Thursday while receiving the 2022 First Quarter Security Report at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna, noted that insecurity challenge in the North-East has moved to the North-West, adding that bandits are planning to relocate from Sambisa to Kaduna forest.

The report presented by the State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said 360 persons were killed by bandits and terrorists, or in violent communal clashes in the state between January and March 2022.

 “The first great concern is the emergence of Boko Haram terrorists’ enclave and activities of Ansaru, particularly in Birnin-Gwari and Chikun local government area.

“This presentation has brought out emerging concerns that I will want the Security Council to take note of and discuss and maybe proffer some suggestions.

“It is unfortunate that in spite of our investment in human, material, and other resources to stem the tide of criminality in the state, the levels are still a source of concern.

 “Among those kidnapped from the train was a former roommate and classmate of mine who was released upon payment of a ransom, and throughout the period that he was in captivity, it was very clear that the terrorists were making comments like the forests in Kaduna are even better than Sambisa, so, they should all relocate here. I think this is an area we should all be concerned about.

“That is why we have been making the point that the problem of insecurity now has moved from the North-East to the North-West. What is happening in the North-West is far more serious and potentially more dangerous than we have ever had in the North-East. We will like the military and other security agencies to notice this before it gets out of control,” El-Rufai said.

He expressed concern that terrorists are now into in bomb-making, saying this is “because Boko Haram and Ansaru elements have moved into the state.”

He also said approval would soon be given to the Kaduna State Vigilance Service to recruit an additional 1,000 personnel to complement the efforts of the military, police, and other security agencies in the fight against terrorism in the state.

El-Rufai decried the high rate of drug abuse in the state, saying it was linked to banditry and must be tackled.

“The fourth concern I noticed in the report is continuous mention of Rijana, Kathari and Akilibu axis in all these crimes, particularly as regards the safety or lack of it of Kaduna-Abuja road.

“We have been exploring what to do about these three communities, whether to relocate them to bear Kagarko, whether to clear the three communities.

“I will like the security council to deliberate on it and look at the options because it is very clear that there are higher levels of informants and criminals in these locations.

“Why is it that any time there is an attack or any form of kidnapping on the road, it happens around this three axis and nothing ever happens on the Kagarko axis.

“There is something wrong with the Rijana, Katari axis and the government should not refuse to do anything.

“We have to look at the options, including the clearance of the settlements completely and relocation of the people to where other more honest people can watch them.

“From what we have seen, the security agencies are overstretched. We need to ramp up the recruitment of our vigilance service volunteers.”

In his presentation, Aruwan disclosed that 1,389 people were kidnapped across the state in three months. The Kaduna Central Senatorial zone accounted for 1,083, with 1,080 of the incidents occurring in Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Igabi, Chikun, and Kajuru LGAs.

 He explained that 287 people were kidnapped from Chikun LGA, 263 from Igabi LGA, and Kajuru recorded 203 kidnapped persons, Birnin Gwari LGA ,169,  and Giwa LGA, 158.

 Aruwan added that during the period under review, no fewer than 3,251 cattle were rustled, with 3,137 stolen from the Kaduna Central Senatorial District, while Kajuru had the highest figure of rustled animals with 1,600.

“Southern Kaduna Senatorial District recorded 249 kidnapped persons, with Kachia LGA reporting the highest number of 207. The Northern Kaduna Senatorial District recorded 57 kidnapped persons, with 29 of these from Zaria LGA,” he said.

Aruwan added that of the 360 people killed across the state, Kaduna Central Senatorial District recorded 214 deaths, while 210 occurred in Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Igabi, Chikun, and Kajuru local government areas of the state.

The commissioner disclosed that 10 women, including six minors, were raped by bandits between January and March, adding that “there are certainly more unreported cases of rape by bandits and only reported cases are highlighted.”

“The interaction between bandits and terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP and Ansaru has been established, as evidenced by the deadly attack on the Abuja-Kaduna AK9 train on 28th March 2022.

“Bandits and terrorists operate based on tip-offs from informants on potential targets and movement of security agencies, with collaborators serving as logistic suppliers, couriers of arms and ammunition, and transporters of rustled

animals.

“Aggrieved groups recruit criminal mercenaries to carry out revenge attacks against those they believe have attacked them. There are also alliances between some communities to execute attacks on others.

“Despite the evolving nature of threats, the politicisation of security challenges remains common, with ethnic and religious narratives often used to support mischievous agendas.

“The selective condemnation of attacks by certain individuals and political actors appears to be deliberate attempts to ignore the suffering of some groups while highlighting that of others.

“This has proven to be a serious drawback to effective conflict resolution.

“Criminals still enjoy protection from communities based on ethnic or religious considerations.

“Also, during the recent Eid-El-Fitr celebration, the terrorists gave gifts to community members.

“So, they enjoy goodwill from the communities and use that to recruit young men into terrorism.”

Hassan Umar Shallpella (Regional Correspondent)

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