By Suleiman Umaru
The Bandits Group, which still parades the likes of Kachalla BelloTurji, Dan Bokolo, Garso, many other kingpis, may have bitten more than what they can chew by seeing the group as an alternate government in Zamfara, Sokoto and other north northern states .
This is evident with their imposition and deposition of village heads in some of the Communities still under the control, particular, in the Bandits controlled Areas of Sokoto state. That much was confirmed by Sharif Kamarawa, Chairman of Isa Local Government, while discussing with Bello Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara state and now minister of State, Defence , who was said to have relocated to the Caliphate state on the orders of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who incidentally was a former governor off Lagos, a state of Excellece.
The Isa local government Chairman, who could not hide his feelings, according to informed sources had told the minister, that Turji , the notorious bandits group gang leader , who had been terrorizing the north western states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, home state of former President Muhammadu Buhari and Kebbi, including Kaduna and Niger, now appoint and depose Village heads at the slightest provocation.
Going by t the claims by the Isa LGA, Chairman, amarawa, that the Turji group alone, which have taken over vast Areas of the Council, have become ‘’Authority of their own, as they could mediate and settle disputes in Communities’’ bear eloquent testimony of the level of insecurity situation in the region.
The Isa LGA, Chairman, may have shocked Nigerians when he stated that Turji, Bokolo, Garso and many other bandits gang Leaders are moving freely and exercising their powers over the people in their Areas of control in Sokoto state without any challenge from the security operatives just as they collect Levies from the Communities at will
They were said to have also resorted’’ to the kidnap of village heads as well, sending a message to the Authorities that the group fighters are everywhere in the flashpoint Communities in the north western states. The kidnap of one Isa Daya, head of Kaya District of Danko/Wasgu LGA of Kebbi, home state of Abubakar Bagadu, minister of Budget and National planning and who was said to have been killed by the bandits and body dumped in Sakaba forest.
Turji’s kill and go gang was said to have killed one Lawal. B. Muhammad a retired Army General, and Director General of Zamfara state Community Protection Guards, CG, in Kucheri, home town of Matawalle, the minister of State Defence. The killing of the retired Army General, may have toughened the minister, who has the Presidential backing and the support of Nuhu Ribadu, a former Chairman, of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and now National Security Adviser, NSA, to deal decisively with the bandits’ group fighters to liberate the north western geopolitical region.
The minister, who has the Presidential mandate to crush the criminal elements was said to have reassured the people of the north western geopolitical region that ‘’there was no cause for alarm as the President is determined’’ to get of the bandits’ gangs’’. He may have alluded to his relocation to Sokoto state to coordinate the military assignment of flushing out all the bandits and other criminal elements in the state on the orders of the Commander-in-Chief.
He was said to have confirmed that the military through ‘’Operation Fansan Yamma’’, which is currently ongoing in the fight against the bandits have’’ killed some notorious gang Leaders and their followers in different locations in the state, Zamfara and Katsina states’’, sending a message to the criminal gangs that’’ it is no longer business as usual’’.
The former Zamfara state governor, who has the mandate of the Nigerian President to remain in Sokoto until the various bandits gangs terrorizing the north western states of Sokoto, Zamfara , Sokoto and Katina, are crushed, appears to have given his words that they will do everything within their powers to stop the criminal elements from moving freely in the region using kinetic and non-kinetic methods to crush them entirely no matter how they had tried to blackmail or them or carry out propaganda , mischief against their operations in order to win the support of the international Community.
Matawalle, who has every reason to declare a total war against the bandits group gangs to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2021, where Kchalla Halilu Sububu, a notorious bandits kingpin, who had continuously terrorized Communities in Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina states including Niger, over the years but had played into the hands of the military and subsequently killed. The bandits’ group kingpin, was said to have attacked a military base in 2021, during the Administration of former President Buhari, where many soldiers were said to have been killed.
Aware that the Bandits group gang leaders could not have had the audacity to operate freely in the north western geopolitical region without informants may have informed why the security operatives have gone after the informants. The arrest of one Samatu Adamu, the village head of Unguwan Tambai Runka, Monarch to Sabon Gida village in Igabi Local Government Area of Katsina state speaks volume. The Monarch was said to have been linked ‘’to several kidnapping incidents in Runka town in Safana LGA, of Zamfara state.
The Monarch was said to have been supplying information to the bandits on the movement of the soldiers and other, security agencies operatives in the north western state which clearly shows that the end of the road has come for them.
The Zamfara state Police Command preliminary investigations had revealed that ‘’credible intelligence had linked the Monarch’’ to several kidnapping incidents in Runka Community, Safana, LGA, in the state, for a fee. The Command had reported that the Katsina sate Monarch had Rabe Sada, popular, BBC,and Nasiru Sha’aibu as his accomplice in the criminal conspiracy and kidnapping of persons, thus feeding fat in Runka town at the expense of the people.
The arrests of the three suspects, who were said to have been suspended from the Katsina state Council of Chiefs for giving security information to one Umar, a notorious bandits group gang leader, hibernating in Runka forest, in Zamfara state, appears to have sent a message to othe Monarchs collaborating with the bandits that the game is up, an indications that there i no hiding place for them anymore.
Indeed, the successful Coordinations of the military operations in the north western state of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi and Katsina states, which was said to have rubbed off in Kaduna, Nasiru El-Rufai, a former minister of Federal Capital Territory , FCT, during former PResidentOlusegun Obasanjo’s Administration and the north central state of Niger, in the recent time, may have informed why North Civil Society Organizations, NCSOs, had given kudos to Matawalle and the NSA, for their efforts to crush the bandits group fighters, who had remained problematic to the people of the north western and north central regions.
The NCSOs, Leadership, reportedly had alluded that the minister and Ribadu’s strategic approach and expertise in eliminating the bandits gang leaders and their followers is effective. They were said to have cited the elimination of one Mai Hijabi, a notorious bandits group Leader, who was said to have joined forces with Tujrji and other bandits’s group gang Leaders to terrorize, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, Katsiina and Niger states.
Appealing o Nigerians to continue ‘’to support to Matawalle and the NSA, the Organization noted that since the duo were appointed by President Tinubu to head strategic positions in the new government, are actually giving the bandits group gang leaders and their Counterparts in the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram and the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, terrorizing the north eastern states of Borno and Yobe, a battle of their life that they are no longer finding it funny. The government mayhave given them a soft landing’’ to surrender or be sentenced to their untimely death’’.
