Vicious attacks and kidnapping in Kebbi state surged in the last few months as criminal groups in the state strive to create camps and grab lands from helpless villagers, WAP can report.
According to residents who spoke with a correspondent, Bandits’ pursuit of more camps in sedentary border zone villages under is one of the reasons behind the surge in attacks perpetrated by the terrorist group.
In Zuru emirate, Kebbi state, there is an increasing number of people are struggling with the growing threat of banditry, a type of organized crime that involves kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, rape, and cattle-rustling.
Although attacks in rural Kebbi are hardly reported in the media, WAP investigation revealed that over a hundred villagers have been killed and thousands displaced due to the thriving armed banditry in the state.
‘’The goal of the bandit terrorists is to station camps in Kebbi as they have done in neighboring states. To achieve this, they attack targeted villages continuously until the locals are forced to desert their homes,” Garba Isah, a resident of Zuru
Isah also explained that many residents of the sedentary border zones of Kebbi state have been displaced; their villages turned into patrol grounds by bandits.
Armed banditry in Kebbi
In early January, bandits’ attack left 13 people dead, including two soldiers and a policeman in Danko Wasago, a local government under the emirate. A few days after the attack, the bandits struck again, raiding three communities under Waje district in Zuru. 3 persons were killed in this attack while the group carted away with several farm produce.
Gunmen in March, killed at least 62 members of the state volunteer vigilante group known in local parlance as, “Yan Sa Kai”. The attack according to Reuters is the worst violence to hit the state since January.
In the same month, gunmen attacked and killed four policemen and seven civilians. The incident was barely seven days after an attack that claimed the lives of over 17 security operatives.
Again, armed bandits abducted 2 people for supposedly trespassing on their free areas and demanded a sum of N400,000 to be paid as ransom for each.
WAP learned that villages in Danko-Wasagu experienced persistent attacks for nine days consecutively.
The terrorists attacked different villages in the county between the 13th to 21st of March, resulting in the death of about 60 villagers. The criminal group operated in the axis for three days, displacing families, rustling cattle.
In June, armed banditry caused the death of over 30 people in the same local government.
Likewise, eight villages in Augie Local Government Area of Kebbi were deserted due to violent attacks in August.
Four residents of a village called under this local government were reportedly killed by bandits in November
Villagers warned off their homes
Bandits have warned villagers to stay off certain villages under the Danko-Wasagu local government, stating that these spaces are now under their control.
Some of the villages on the list are Dankade, Ragam Bawa, Tungan Dangula, Ragam Doka, Galeko, Dutsen Kurmi, Tungan Amadun Daji, K’dabo, Ragam Ciwake, Dajin Jode, Tungan Galla, Sabon Garin Yababa.
The bandit group is also working to occupy K’dabo, Dutsen Kurmi, Dankade village under the emirate.
Sources told this paper that this move is an effort to extend their territory from Dajin Jode, an area where they have successfully stationed a camp.
Imada, an IDP in Diri Daji community, was sent back home by a group of bandits occupying his village when he tried to return. He told WAP he was asked by the bandit to leave Matari, his village, and never return.
The IDP, who felt fortunate to be left unharmed, told this paper that he was asked to warn others to stay off the village.
“Few days after staying in dirin daji, I decided to relocate back home. I had assumed that the bandits would only loot the village and leave afterward. But I met you there. They paraded the village with their ammunition. I was asked to leave and never return. They also ordered me to pass the information across to others,” he explained.
Villagers pay tax to armed bandits
Fidelis Baba, an indigene of Zuru, said, warnings by bandits are also passed through abducted victims who are released only after a ransom has been paid.
According to him, villagers found moving around the “bandit zones” could be killed for trespassing.
Fidelis explained that bandits have warned villagers to avoid many communities and directed residents of villages and other villages to pay taxes and succumb to their government.
“They are trying to establish a strong government within these communities. And anybody that wants to live under this government has to pay tax. They have taxed several villagers. would be considered trespassing.
“They issued a warning. You either leave or you’ll be kidnapped and held captive until a ransom is paid or you’ll be killed. The fact is some villages negotiate with them. If you want to remain, you negotiate and pay a certain amount of money. They live almost like slaves to the criminals.
“Currently in my village in Yababa, and other villages around, are considered their territory. They are always moving around these marked villages. They also have camps located in spaces extremely close to the state.
“They have killed a lot of people, raped a lot of women. There are very terrible stories about the bandits. When they attack or issue a directive, people must respond but they are an organized group with sophisticated weapons.”
‘No Bandits camp has been stationed’
When WAP contacted the Police spokesman for the state, Nafiu Abubakar, he denied knowledge of any effort to station camps and control territories in the state.
According to him, there are no bandit camps stationed in villages in Kebbi state.
He said that the terrain of the state only provides access for bandit infiltration into these villages.
“I am not aware of a bandit base in Kebbi state. They don’t have their camp here. They come from neighboring states and attack villagers in Kebbi.
“These bandits’ groups are at the border axis. The state shares a border with Zamfara and Niger. That is why these bandits have access but we don’t have a forest in Kebbi where they can establish a camp,” he said.
He also noted that security officials deployed to the state have recorded progress in curtailing attacks from the terrorists.
Nafiu said the state has not recorded any recent violent attacks by terrorists.
“For a long time, we have not been attacked and it’s a success for us. The police command has deployed forces to these places and even the inspector general of police also assisted the command by deploying more security officials. They are all there. They were deployed along the border area to prevent bandit infiltration into the state,” Nafiu said.
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