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By Suleiman Umaru
In spite of the fact that the Zamfara Police have arrested a 20.-year old notorious bandit , on Sani Mati, popularly called Mai Yammata in the Bandits circles, who have been terrorising Zurmi, Shinkafi and Magaji, Local Government Area of the state over the last couple of years, the Zamfara elders are worried that nothing would come out of it.
They have their reason. This is because it is not the first time that Ayuba Elkanah, the state Commissioner of Police and his men have arrested and paraded BAandits suspect on Telvision but nothing came out of it. They had cited the 2000 Bandits and their informants that were arrested, following the military operations in the state which was said to have been celebrated by Bello Matawalle, the state governor and in security circles in the state. Ibrahim Dosara, the state Commissioner for Information had said that that the arrests of the Bandits and their Collaborators, in different parts of Birnin Magaji, Shinkafi, and Zurmi LGAs, described as the home of the Bandits was a clear indication that the shutting down of telecommunication services in 14 LGS, in the state including Gusau, the state Capital, has succeeded to a greater extent.
The Commissioner had boasted that that 80% of the Bandits Group which have 0ver 100 camps scattered all over the forests have fled the neighbouring Sokoto state stressing that the remaining 20% are still operating in Zamfara and Katsina, President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General, home state.
The arrest of the 20-year old Yamatama, in Zamfara did not come to many as a surprise because of the matching order given to Elkana, the state Commissioner of Commissioner by Usman Alkali Baba, the no nonsense nspector General of Police, IGP, to mobilise his men to cripple the Bandits at all costs. This may have informed why the Commissioner deployed the Command intelligence gathering network for operation. Acting on information, the Team, the tactical operatives deployed along Zurmi LGA, axis , were determined to fix the Bandits in the area to ensure that they would never regroup to Launch attack on any Community in the LGA. They were said to have intensified their Patrol of the nooks and crannies of the LGA, to fish out and arrest the gang leaders.
The fallout was the arrest of Yamata, who is currently in police custody in the state, at Koliya village while trying to block the highway and kidnap innocent travelers and dispossess them of their wares and cash. The Police Commissioner, who could not hide his feelings had revealed that the 20-year old Yamata, who belonged to the Turji Camp in the state operates under the guidance of one Kachalala Sani, described as a Bandit King pin, who have trained many young people to foot his steps of Ikdnap for ransom, attack, kill and run into the forest style of operation at Zurmi and Shinkafi , LGAs. While the suspect, Yamata, operates around the Zurmi axis, his master, Sani, who had trained him in the acts of Banditry coordinates the Banditry activities in Shinkafi LGA.
Many believe that with the arrest of Yamata, who had been a thorn in the flesh of the indigenes of Zurmi LGA over the years, and who is currently undergoing secret investigations, the days of Sani, the Bandit kingpin in Shinkafi and his other partners in the business of killing and Negotiating for ransom in the north western state of Zamfara is over.
Elkana, the state Commissioner of Police, who is working closely with Matawale, the governor and other security agencies Chiefs in the state may have gladdened the heart of the people of the state who have been under siege of the Bandits, over the years ‘’to feed them and indeed Nigerians with the vital information recovered from the suspect in a bid to tackle Banditry in the north western state and other parts of the north.
An eye eyewitness account had said that Yamata, was arrest by the PoliceTactical squad with little or resitance as an AK 47 rifle, double Magazines, three rounds ofLive ammunition and a boxer motorcycle was recovered from him. Recall that Mohammed BAzoun, the President of the neighbouring Niger Republic had told Matawall e, the Zamfara governor recently had that ‘’the problem of Banditry across Niger is coming from Madawa and Bayan Dutsi but escalated to the north west state of Zamfara and which have infiltrated other neighbouring states such as Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Niger, home state of Ibrahim Bangida, a retired Army General and former military President.
The Bandits Group were said to have also spread their activities to Taraba, home state of Theopilous Danjuma, a retired Army General, and former minister of Defence , during Olusegun Obasanjo Administration. The Bandits were said to have infiltrated the state from the Central African country of Cameroon. This may have informed why President Bazoum of Niger, has requested the regions to implement the total ban on the importsation of motorcycles from the Autonomous port of Benin, and Bollore port, into Nigeria, to cripple the Bandits cross-border movement.
Note that the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram and The Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, which are now working closely together, since the death of their Leaders, Abubakar Shekau, of BokoHaram and Ibrahim Barnawi, of the ISWAP respectively, have intensified thateir insurgency Campaign in Borno and Yobe states as well as the occasional attacks in Adamawa, home state, of Atiku Abubakar , a former Vice President and the Opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Candidate in the 2019, general elections. It is also instructive to note that Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the government of the Federation and Chairmanof the Presidenial Task Force on the Asian country of China emerged coronavirus, popular, COVID 19, is also from the north east state.
Only recently, there was rumours making the rounds which was reported in one of the online Publications , not The Value News, that the BokoHaram and ISWAP Insurgents had invaded Dabna and Kabre Communities in Dugwaba District of Hong LGA, of Adamawa state, forcing Mustapha’s Community people to abandon their homes. However, the Police had denied the report, stating that ‘’there has not been no report of attack in Mustapha, secretary to the government Community, let alone , people fleeing their home. The State Commissioner of Police was said to have deployed anti-kidnapping squads as well as undercover security agents to the Hong District villages as soon as the information filtered out about the attack to nip on the bud but turned to be a lie.
While the alleged BokoHaram attack on Mustapha’s village in Adamawa state have been dismissed by security Operatives and Simon Yakubu, the District Head of Dugwaba, Mohammed Dole, an Army Colonel and spokesperson of the Multinational Joint Task Force, under the Command of Lucky Irabor, an Army General, and Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, had said that the BokoHaram and ISWAP, Insurgents, who laid Imrovided Explosive Devices, IED, along the troops, route of advance in the vicinity of Mallan Fatori town, within the Lake Chad region, killed six MNJTF solders on Thursday, December 30, 2021, including towo officers and four other ranks from both Nigeria and Niger. He further stated that 16 MNJTF, soldiers, were wounded in the Mallan Fatori Battle with the Insurgents in Borno state.
Colonel Dole had said the MNJTF, soldiers had engaged the Insurgents within the vicinity of Malan Fatori town in Borno state in the fringes of the Lake Chad region. In engaging the Insurgents in the Malan Fatori battle, he had said the troops that were engaged in the operation, Code-named SHARAN AGE, were drawn from sector 3, Munguno, Nigeria and sector 4, Diffa, Niger Republic and fully supported by the troops of Operation Hadin Kai.
He noted that on sighting the Operation Hadin Kari troops, which have given them no breather in the recentime, as they have continuously targeted at these terrorists hibernating in the vicinity of the Malan Fatori town, they knew that the battle a is as good as being won by the MNJTF, troops.
True to their fear, the BokoHaram and IWAP, terrorists were roundly dwefeated in the Malan Fatori town battle. Cole Dole, MNJTF, spokesperson, confirmed that 22 of the terrorists were killed in the battle ground, forcing others to flee into the forest. He disclosed that the Insurgents suffered major losses in both weapons and equipment as they were forced to abandon five of their gun trucks, five motorcycles and eight AK47 rifles which were promptly taken over by the MNJTF troops and taken to their Barracks.. The Insurgents may have been worse hit as several logistics bunkers
The BokoHaram and ISWA Insurgents may not forget the Mallan Fatori battle in a hurry as 17 of them were said to have been arrested in the general areas of operations and are being profiled to ascertain their countries of origin.
