BySuleiman Umaru
For years gunrunners have sustained the Bandits Group Fighters in Zamfara, described as the home of the Bandits, Kaduna, and Katsina, home state of President Muhammadu Buhari including the north central state of Niger and occasional attacks in Communities in Taraba and Nasarawa states.
The Nigerian Army have made several efforts to block the sources of getting arms by the Bandits Group fighters in the north western geopolitical region , using their contacts but that was how far they could go. Towards the tail end of the Katsina state born Nigerian President and his service Chiefs, the Nigerian President appears to have sent message to the gunrunners that it is not no longer to be business as usual.
This is evident as hard fighting Troops of Operation Forest Sanity in Kaduna state who have never relented in theier search for the arms dealers sustaining the Banditry in the flashpoint states in the north western region arrested and detained a suspect believed to have been supplying arms and ammunitions to the region.
An eyewitness account said the gunrunner was arrested while conveying a large quantity of mmunitions to the Bandits Group fighters around Polewire area in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna for distribution to other flash points Areas in the state.
Nasir El-Rufai, a former minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, during Olusegun Obasanjo Administration and the ougoing governor of the north western state of Kaduna state may have seen the arrest of the gunrunner as a major achievement by Lt. General Farouk Yahaya, the Chief of Army Staff, CoAS, as a major breakthrough in the state towards crippling the Bandits Group fighters in the state and bringing Banditry to an end in the state and other parts of the north western region.
The Statement by Samuel Aruwan, the state Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs that the arrest of the Troops of Operation Forest Sanity followed up on credible intelligence around gunrunning activities in in the state and in the course of diligent checks , stopped the suspicious –looking vehicle within the location of the forest used by the Bandits Group fighters in the notorious Birnin Gwari Area.
The Commissioner noted that during the search of the intercepted and detained vehicle by the Troops of the Operation Forest Sanity, more than 2,000 rounds of various grades of ammunition, neatly concealed in different parts of the vehicle were found. The discovery of the large quantity of ammunition may have encouraged the Troops to continue the search on the vehicle by turning it upside down and discovering other ammunitions.
According to the Kaduna state Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, after a thorough search of the arrested suspicious vehicle plying the Birni Gwari Area, an additional 886 rounds of 7.62 special ammunition, 139 rounds of 7.62 tracer ammunition and five empty AK47 Magazines were also discovered.
Security experts are optimistic that with the arrest of the suspect, who is currently being interrogated, more arms dealers in the north western region will be arrested soon which may finally weaken the Bandits Group fighters. Taoreed Lagbaja, a Major General and General Officer Commanding, GOC, Commanding one Division Kaduna, who has never given the Bandits a breather since he assumed duties in the Division late last year could not hide his enthusiasm over the arrest of the of the vehicle conveying the large quantity of arms and ammunition to the Bandits in the Forest Area of Birnin Gwari by the Troops ha charged them to proceed with thorough investigation of the arrested gunrunner and further intensify efforts ‘’towards dismantling gunrunning networks across Kaduna state and other pats of the north western region. The Troops may have read his body Language that they cannot afford to fail
The Operation Forest Sanity Troops may have been encouraged to tighten security in the north western state of Kaduna following the renewed attacks of the Bandits Group fighters in Southern Kaduna, resulting in the killing of eight persons. . Major General Lagabaja, the GOC, one Division and his men may have seen it as a that must stop with barely two months for the Buhari’s Administration second tern term to end to end and for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and the President-elect to take over, who is currently in Europe, in what his allies ha described as bed rest.
It is not surprising why the Troops have tapped their contacts in various parts of the state to go after the gunrunners. he killing of one Dankarami, a Bandits Group Commander by Troops of Operation Hadarin Daji in the state may have sent message to the Group that Maj. General Godwin Muktut, the Commander of the Joint Task Force north west Operation Hadarin Daji, is determined to crush them in the state as the people continue to provide timely information to the security Authorities.
While the Bandits may think that with the exit of Buhari, on May 29, 2023, Tinubu, his successor, who do not have a military background, may not be able to tame them going by their recent attacks in Kaduna the attempted attack in Gidan Danjimamma and Kairifada Communities within Birnin-Magaji Local government Area of Zamfara state, they may get it wrong. The ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, had said that Tinubu, the President –elect will ‘’swing to action immediately he returns from Europe’’.
One of his Aides was reported to have said that once he returns and he is inaugurated on May 29, 2023, ‘’there will be no dulling’’, noting that’’ he is working for the job ahead’’ to restore sanity in a massive and complex society a Nigeria’’. The Aid had said that he is also holding meetings regularly with all kinds of people who are travelling from other countries to see him preparatory to his inauguration describing his stay in Europe for now as a ‘’working visit.’’.
