Share this
By Suleiman Umaru
Abdullahi Gandunje, governor of Kano, home state of Late Aminu Kanu, appears to have taken the discussion he had with Aminu Tambuwal, a former Speaker of House of Representatives and his Counterpart in Sokoto, home state of Late Shehu Shagari, a former Nigerian President, when he paid a visit to Commiserate with him over the killing of 24 Travellers by armed members of the Bandits Group to President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General.
Gov. Gandunje who is not happy over the continuous killing of Innocent Nigerians in different parts of the country, particular, in the north had earlier told the sokoto state governor that the only way to effectively clip the wings of the terrorists and Bandits is for the government to effectively take over the forests accommodating all the Criminal elements.
An aggrieved Gandunje had told the Katsina state born Nigerian President last Thursday, December 23, 2021, that ‘’the nation’s forests are accommodating the different kinds of Criminal gangs terrorising the country. He was said to have made it clear to the Nigerian President that ‘’ridding the forests of the unhealthy elements will go a long way in solving the nation’s insecurity challenges’’.
The governor was emphatic that the ‘’the forests are the major problems of the country’s security situation as ’’ it accommodate the Bandits, terrorists, armed robbers, armed herdsmen and other criminal elements ‘’. Gandunje, a former political ally of Ibrahim Kwankwaso, a former governor of the Late, had requested the retired Army General to establish institution within that forest ,stressing that ‘’it is the only the south west states of Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and the north central states of Niger and Benue will be’’ liberated’’.
He believes also that with the establishment of the forest institution, the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram, occupying the SAMBISA forest and the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, occupying the Lake Chad region, in Borno state, will be crushed completely and never to rise up to mobilise members again to attack any military base or Community, let alone fire rocket grenade bomb ex into the city of Maiduguri, Capital of the north east state of Borno.
Recall that Ibrahim Dosara, the Zamfara state Commissioner For Information had said that there are 100 Bandit Camps with over 32,000 armed followers scattered all over the forests in the state, crisscrossing the entire north west geo-political region and some parts of the north central states , to join forces with their Local Collaborators to Launch attacks.
Mohammed Bazoum, the neighbouring Niger Republic President may have given an insight that the terrorists and Bandits staying in the nation’s forests to plot their attacks on Nigerian military bases and Communities are not only Nigerians but include terrorists and Bandits from other member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission who had linked up with the Local Collaborationists through the large expanse of forest within the Sahel region.
The Niger President had said the armed Bandits operating in the north west states of Zamfara, Kaduna , Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and the north central state of Niger including the armed herdsmen operating in Benue state launch attacks in the states from Madawa and Bayan Dutsi regions forests but escalated to the country through the Maradi and Gao, regions forests . President Buhari, may have gotten Governor Gandunje’s message very clearly that he had said that ‘’Nigerians deserve a country that will guarantee that the citizens are free from fear and harassment’’.
It was not surprising why he has asked the military and the Force’’ to remain focused to achieve the government strategic goal of defeating the Insurgents, operating in the north eastern states of Borno and Yobe and the Bandits Group operating in the north western geopolitical region as well as Niger and Taraba, retired General Theophilous Danjuma , a former minister of Defence, during Olusegun Obasanjo Administration home state.
The Nigerian President who is particularly not happy over what is happening in the north west, a region he had described as where share a common culture and outlook over the centuries but have suddenly resorted ‘’to stealing, kidnapping and killing one another, in the name of Banditry.
He has made it clear to those that cares to listen that ’’the progress that have been achieved in the north east states of Borno and Yobe , by Operation Hadin Kai, will be replicated in the north west’’. He has his reason. The government is investing heavily in procuring more sophisticated hardware and equipment to strengthen the military efforts. The Nigerian President had confirmed that ‘’some of the military hardware and equipment had already arrived the country while others are being awaited’’.
Notwithstanding the efforts being made by Lucky Irabor , an Army General , and Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, led Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, and L.t General Farouk Yahaya, the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, and his soldiers to stabilise the security of the nation by wiping out the terrorists, Bandits and other Criminal elements across the country, including the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, operating in the south east states, the Catholic and Anglican Bishops in Kaduna state had said ‘’the incessant killings and kidnappings in the north west states, have made ‘’ the declaration of a state of emergency in the region by the President inevitable’’.
Bishop Buba Lamido, Bishop of Wusasa Diocese, Zaria and Dean,Church of Nigeria, was emphatic on the need for Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the north west geopolitical region over’’ the growing insecurity’’.
Audu Ogbeh, a former Chairman of the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who had decamped to the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, to become Buhari’s former minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in his first term in office, and who incidentally is the Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, CF, has asked Nigerians ‘’to intensify Prayers for God ‘’to Cleanse the country of evil and inequity’’, stressing that ‘’many Nigerians have experienced tragic moments in 2021’’.
