By Suleiman Umaru
This is not the best of times for the Bandits Group fighters who have been terrorizing the north western states of Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi, and the north central state of Niger, since 2018, barely three years after former Katsina state born Nigerian President assumed office.
It is estimated that there are about 30,000 bandits group fighters spread across the numerous gangs in the north western states of Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and the north central state of Niger, with the Bandits group gangs members ranging between 500- 1000 fighters. Although, some of the bandits groups gangs were said to have turned to kidnappers and cattle rustlers but the military appears to be giving it back to them.
The Bandits group fighters may have known that the game is up when Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos, won the February 25, 2023, Presidential elections. There have been rumours making the rounds that MUhammadu Buhari, the immediate past Nigerian President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, C-in-C never allowed the military to use total force on the bandits which may have informed why the war had dragged on this years.
Worried that the bandits group Fighters are not ready to drop their arms but had continued their attacks on Communities in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, kebbi and Niger states may have informed why the former Lagos state governor has given a matching order to Christopher Gwabin Musa, an Army General and Chief of Defense Staff, CDS and the service Chiefs to use their military might on the bandits group fighters and their gang Leaders..
The CDS, and the service Chiefs may have read the handwriting on the wall that the Nigerian President will not take any excuse for an answer if the Bandits Groups fighters and kidnappers terrorizing the country are not flushed out to make Nigerian a safe place to do business.
This may have informed why Lt. Gen, Taoreed lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, CoAS, had mobilised the troops to take the battle to the Bandits’ Camp in the forest in the flashpoint states in the north western and north central geopolitical regions to flush out criminal elements out.
The murder of Sarkin Gobir, Isa Muhammad Bawa, by one of the Bandits Groups gangs in Sokoto state, may have encouraged the Nigerian President to direct Bello Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara state and now minister of state, Defence, CDS and the service Chiefs to relocate to the Caliphate state to strengthen the military operations against the bandits group fighters in the north west.
The relocation of the minister of state, Defence, CDS and the service Chiefs to Sokoto, to sustain the tempo of the attacks on the Bandits Groups fighters in forests appears to have paid off. This is evident with the recent killing of Halilu Sububu, believed to be an indigene of the Neighbouring Republic of Niger, described in security circles as a notorious gang Leader,
The Bandits Group gang Leader, who was said to have master-minded several attacks in in Communities in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger states and involved in many kidnap cases in the north west and north central geopolitical regions where scores of people, were said to have been held hostage and millions of naira paid as ransom to facilitate their release.
The Nigerien born Bandits Group gang Leader, who resides in a forest in Zamfara, home state of Matawalle, minister of state, Defense, has been declared wanted in May 2024, by the office of the CDS, with soldiers waiting in the wings to arrest him.
He may have met his waterloo in an ambush by the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji troops in Kirya, a Community under Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara state on Friday, September, 13, 2024.The deceased bandits Groups gang leader may have sustained his Banditry operations in Zamfara, described as a home of illegal miners and other north western states , including Niger, with illegal gold mining operations in Bagega and other Communities around Sunke forest in Anka Local Government Area of the north westen state of the north western state.There are indications that Sububu had a camp on the western side of Bagega that controlled Communities and all other illegal mining of gold in the area.
An elated President Tinubu, who was said to have received with relief the death of sububu, in the hands of the Operation Hadrin Daji troops, , had said that the days of security threats in the north west will soon be over.
The Nigerian President who spoke through Bayo Onanuga, his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy , had said that ’’the success of the Operations Hadarin Daji troops in killing the notorious Bandits Groups gang Leader, has given further assurance that ’’the country’s security operatives are up to the task of ensuring the peace and security’’ of the most populous country in the African Continent.
The death of Sububu, in the hands of Operation Hadarin Daji troops, may have informed why Gen. Musa, the CDS, who could not hide his feelings had said that the days of Bello Turji Kachalla, popular, Turji, and other notorious Bandits Groups, gang Leaders, in Zamfara state are numbered.
As a prelude to arresting Turji, and other notorious bandits groups gang Leaders, the CDS, had said that a joint military thatre operation code-named ‘’Operation Fansar Yamma Northwest ‘ will be established to tackle the spread of insecurity in the region by him. The Army General had said that additional helicopters and military hardwares will be deployed to the region to deal decisively with the Bandits group fighters.
Turji, who had constituted himself and thousands of his gang members into a nightmare for the people of Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger states, may have known that the security operatives are on his trail and that there is no hiding place for him any longer , that he is now in search of peace.
There is no gain saying the fact that the bandits group gang Leader, who is in the class of late Abubakar Shekau, of the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram, is strictly a warlord who has sought to carve out an empire out of the vast ungoverned spaces of the north west and the north central geopolitical regions.
But Bulama Bukarti, a security expert, who sees the warlord as’’ one of the gravest threat to Nigeria’s peace , security and progress’’, would want the military to deal decisively with him and his gang members, the same way Shekau, and his followers were dealt with in Borno state , as a lesson to other bandits groups gang Leaders in future.
While the military and Nigerian Police Force, NPF, had agreed to establish a Joint security Taskforce to end Banditry in Zamfara state, the Bandits group gang Leaders may have had their plan B, on how to draw out the troops and kill them in an ambush.
Last Thursday, the Bandits group fighters had planned to attack a Construction company working along a highway I amfara state but the information got to joint security which ad mobilized to the scene.
Unknwon to the security operatives the bandits had laid an ambush and opened fire on them. Mohammed Dalian, the state Commissioner of Police, had said that the bandits had wanted to enter Setraco compan, the contractor handling the construction of the highway project in Zamfara and abduct of the staff of the company but the timely intervention of the security operatives saved the situation.
The Zamfara state Commissioner of Police, had said that the ambush of the Joint security operatives vehicle around the Setraco camp , had resulted n the murder of three solders attached to the Operation Hadarin Daji involved in the operation . He noted that the troops fought gallantly in repelling the Bandits goup gang attack.
Many believe that if the soldiers who had me stiff resistance from the bandits, had known that there was an ambush that had been laid against them by the bandits gang, they would have fully prepared to face them squarely but had relaxed , giving room to the criminal elements to open fire them on them unawares. An eyewitness account had corroborated the Commissioner of Police’s claims that it was during the exchange of gunfire that gunned down some soldiers and police personnel. While the and NPF, are acting out a security script to clip the wings of the bandits operating in the north- west, militarythey may not have spared the kidnappers.
Only recently, the NPF, in collaboration with the Local Vigilantee group in Tara, home state of Gen. Thephilous Danjuma, a former minister of Defense, during Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration, were said to have killed the five bandits, turned kidnappers terrorizing Komi Village in Ardo-Kola Local Government Area and some parts of the north central state.
The kidnappers, were said to have ambushed the security operatives when they were pursued to rescue four kidnap victims but due to superior firepower but was forced to flee not have s but could not ucceed in getting away with the as the I four hostages as the were said to have been rescued by the troops.
Another 13 hostages from the kidnappers den in the general area of Chigulu Village in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna state, were said to have also been rescued, meaning that that it is no longer business as usual for the kidnappers. This may not be unconnected to the fact that the security operatives are now fully out to thwart their plans.
Samuel Aruwan, the Kaduna state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, had said that troops of Sector 4, Operation Whirl Punch of the Nigerian Army, who had acted through a credible human intelligence of some bandits fighters moving the kidnapped victims in the general area of Chigulu village in the Kachia Local Government area to rescue the victims at the bandits’ Camp, amidst still resistance as there was exchange of gunfire, forcing to flee into the dense forest.
The soldiers were said to have destroyed the bandits’ Camp and recovered one AK- 47, one locally made rifle, four AK-47 magazines, eight –seven rounds 7.62 mm ammunition , five mini solar panels , five mobile phones and sum of N192,220.00.
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