By Suleiman Umaru
When Tukur Manu, Media Aide to Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, a popular Muslem Cleric, raised alarm last June that the lives of 51 victims of the March 28, 2022, Abuja-Kaduna Train attack by Ansaru Terrorists Group and their Bandits Group Collaborators were in danger, security agencies personnel may have laughed over it.
Manu could speak out as someone whohas regular contact with them in their forest hideouts. Rotimi Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and governor of Ondo state had told those that cares to listen that the Bandits Group, the Islamic Fundamentalist Group BokoHaram and The Islamic State of West African Proince , ISWAP, including the Bandits Group could terrorise Nigerians because they have taken over the forests across the country. The has pleaded with the International Community for help in the fight country’s against terrorism as the Federal government appears to have become helpless.
Even Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano state, after a meeting with the Katsina state born Nigerian President last December had called for the establishment of a military Training base bothering Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi and Plateau state, to checkmate the activities of the terrorists in the north.
The governor may have been encouraged to speak out his mind because of the unfortunate insecurity situation in northern region. From Zamfara, Katsina, Buhari home state. Kduna, Sokoto, Niger, Ibrahim Babangida, a rtd Army and former military President home state, Borno, Yobe to Imo state in south east Nigeria, the story is the same: forests taken over by the terrorists to wreak hovoc.
The Bandits group and their BokoHaram and IWAP Collaborators may have identified the lapses in Nigerian security system that they could attempt to invade a military base in Sarkinpawa town in the Munya Local Area of Niger state recently . Reports had it that both for the stiff resistance put up by the soldiers forcing may ofthem to flee, they would have taken over the military base and possibly cart away their arms and amunitions to strengthen their attacking force.
Given their courage to attack a military base in Niger state and the recent f invasion of Kuje Custodial centre located in the outskirts of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, by ISWAP, where the prison cells were opened forcing 69 of the BokoHaram terrorists serving various prison terms to flee may have given them the courage to boast that that they were coming for Buhari, the Nigerian President and Nairsir El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state and other government officials including National Assembly Lawmakers to force Nigerian military to sit up.
The Terrorist Groups may have shocked Nigerians when they said they know what the Nigerian government is planning to rescue the remaining victims of the Abuja-Kaduna Train attack on March 28, 2022, meaning that there are moles in the country’s security circles giving them information . More worrisome was their claim that any Committee set up by the government to facilitate the release of Abuja –Kaduna Train victims, they are already known to them.
President Buhari, who could no longer take the insult from the Bandits Group and their BokoHram and ISWAP collaborators had said that he will leave ‘no stone unturned in crushing the Criminal gangs wreaking havoc in several part of the country’’.
Garba Shehu, a Senior Special Assistant to Buhari, on Median and Publicity, had said that the President and Commander –In Chief , C-In-C, of the Nigerian Armed Forces, has put the service Chiefs on their toes ‘’to ensure that Banditry and terrorism are decisively addressed between now and May 29, 2023, when he is expected to hand-over to the next government.
The Nigerian President may have finally made up his mind to crush the Bandits, Terrorists, staying in Nigerian forests to wreak havoc in several parts of the country because of the claims that one of the escapees in the Kuje prison during ISWAP attack had joined them in the forest. The Ansaru Group Terrorists had released a propangada video where they were flogging the remaining of the Abuja-Kaduna Train victim victims still in their custom to force the government to meet their financial emand to facilitate their release.
The exhuated victims were said to have appealed to Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, UN, the Leadership of the African Union, AU, and Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabian King and the Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince to come to their aid since the Nigerian government has failed ‘’to escue them from the hands of the trigger hungry terrorist who were said to have killed at least eight of the Train Passengers at the last count. Among the March 28 Abuja-Kaduna Train Passengers that were aid to been killed by the Terrorists as a way to force the Nigerian government to have a rethink and Negotiate with them going by the names released include one Amin Mahmoud, a medical doctor , who incidentally is the ruling All Pessive Congress, APC, Youth Leader, Tibile Mosugu, Chinelo Megafo Chinelo and Barrister Musa Lawal Ozigi, and Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress, TUC.
There is no gain saying the fact that the Terrorists are after money as they have turned kidnapping in Nigeria into a big business to make good money to buy guns to continue to wreak havoc in the society, as well as settle their medical bills of their captors and those allegedly giving them information.
Aggrieved families whose relations were in the ill-fated Abuja –Kaduna Passenger Train that was attacked by the Ansaru Terrorists late last March had accused the Buhari government and the military of sabotaging their efforts ‘’ to rescue their Loved ones from the hands of their abductors in the forest on Friday, July 22, 2022.
In a report carried by Channels Television, they were said to have told Nigerians that’’ the military personnel had blocked them from gaining access to the forest where the Terrorists had asked them to come and pick up the victims still in their Custody’’. The relatives of the abducted Passengers may have taken the bull by the horn to get their Loved ones released from the Custody of the Terrorists as they had made Nigerians and International Community to believe that the government, both at the state and Federal Levels as well as the security agencies have failed them.
The question on the lips of most people was why the military cannot arrest Sheikh Gumi and Manu, his Media Aide, and the Families of the Abuja-Kaduna Passenger Train victims show them the location of the Terrorists based on the direction given to them to approach the forest to have the victims released to them.
The Nigeria President had persistently declared that the Terrorists must sent their Creator . This is where FaroukYahaya, a Lt. General and Chief of Army Staff and hi Air Marshall Olayinka Isiaka Amao, may have to take to the battle to the Bandits and Terrorists Camps in their forest hideout by taking advantage of the government support in raising the soldiers morale and providing them with the needed equipment to do so. However, the worry of security experts was how the Terrorists came about the military Camouflage and uniforms used in deceiving the people during attacks.This may have informed why the military have not have been able to break the wings of the Bandits an Terrorists in Nigeria between 2009 and now.
