By Suleiman Umaru
In spite of the fact that the Bandits Group, which had entered Niger Republic through the Madawa and Dutsi regions and subsequently entered into the north west state of Zamfara state in 2011 through Marahdi region as revealed by Mohammed Bazoum, the country’s President, the Libyan trained Bandits and their Nigerian Collaborators appear to be taking their nefarious activities too far.
Although the Group between 2011 and now have spread their operations to other north west states of Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina, President Muhammadu BUhari home state where there are forests linking the states with Bazoum’s home country, the Bandits who may have found their way to Niger, Ibrahim Babangida, a retired Army General and former military President home state may have found the Shiroro Local government Area of the state and other nearby Local government Areas where there are huge forests area where they could concentrate their attacks, killings and kidnapping for ransome. They may have sent a signal to the Nigerian government that there is no difference between their modus of operations and the Islamic Fundamentalit Group , BokoHaram and the Islamic State State of West African Province , ISWAP, a 2015, break away faction of BokoHaram including the Ansaru Group, which is an admixture of BokoHaram and ISWAP fighters staying in the north west state of Aduna forest .
This is because of their resort to ambush to launch attacks on their military targets in the north west states currently under siege and Niger state as obtained in the north east states of Borno and Yobe , particular, where sores of Nigerians have been killed.
Ony recently, the Bandits had laid an ambush against the soldiers around the mining site located at Ajata Aboko Area in Gurmana Ward of Shiro LGA where some security operative operates including Civilians were killed. The soldiers were said to have mobilised to save the mining workers comprising of Nigerians and the Asian country of China miners when they got a distress call that the Bandits have invaded the minig site and that the lives of the miners are in danger.
The information that the soldiers may have left their Barracks and are on their way to the the Ajata Aboko minig site may have leaked out which may have encouraged the Criminal elements to ambush them in the vast Shiro forest.
Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant tothe katsina state born Nigerian President based on information at his disposal had said the 13 policemen and Civilians were killed . He noted that several other people were missing during the attack including four Chinese Nationals.
Unconfirmed reports said no fewer than 30 bodies of security Operatives dumped in the bush by the killer gang Bandits were recovered. The Nigerian President who had said that his Administration commitment to protect Nigerian and indeed ,Nigerians from all enemies from within and outside the country may have gladdened the heart of the people when he said during the 2022 Democracy Day speech that ‘’the country cyber Security a and surveillance systems are being upgraded to further enhance the security operatives ability to tack and trace the Bandits, terrorists and other criminal elements across the country.
This may have informed why he could make the bold Statement that the government would do everything within its powers to ensure the safe return of the those abducted by the Bandits in the Shiroro Wednesday , June 29, 2022 ambush attack on soldiers. An aggrieve Buhari who could not hide his feelings had sent a message to the Bandits to be ready for the real war. He has vowed to fish out the Bandits in their forest hideouts ‘’no matter what rock they crawl under, , what hole they may sink into or what lie they hide behind to carry out their nefarious activities’’, stressing that ‘’Shiroro will know Justice and Nigeria will know peace’’. He described their action as ‘’an act of desperation’’.
The Nigerian President asserted that if BokoHaram and IWAP, which haven terrorising the north east states of Adamawa, Atiu Abubakar, a former Nigerian Vive President and the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party home state, Presidential Candidate for the 2023 , general elections, Borno and Yobe, could be ‘’reduced to a shell’’, the Bandits Group, terrorising the north west geopolitical region and Niger and some parts of Plateau state would not be much of a problem to the security operatives.
This may have informed why the security Chiefs have continued to restrategise on how to deal decisively with the Bandits and their sponsors and incapacitate their operation in Nigeria in no distant time to protect Shiroro became of its strategic importance to the country’s power generation.
Note that the Shiroro Hydro-electric Power plant on the Kaduna river in Niger sate with a generating capacity of 600 magawatts , which is sufficient to power more than 404 dwellings , according to reports, could be one of the major targets of the Bandits to throw Nigeria into darkness and force the government to negotiate with them in order to leave the north central state.
Nigerians may want Farouk Yahaya a Lt.General and Chief of Army Staff, CoAS, and Air Air Marshall Olayinka Amao, the Chief of Air Stataff, CAS, to block the activities of the Bandits in Niger state avoid a repeat of what happened in Borno state in 2021, where Dzarma Zirksu, a Brigadier General and , the Commander of the troops of 28 Special Force Brigade, Chibok, had mobilised to provide reinforcement in Askira which was under siege wasambushed and killled alongside some two of his soldiers.
Sani Bello, governor of Niger state, may have spoken the mind of the Nigerian President when he said that the state government would never ‘’negotiate with the Bandits, who are Fulanis from the AHEL region that has ‘’no one to control them’’. The Niger governor of the north central state was said to have repeatedly told the Nigerian President at every singular opportunity of the high level of insecurity and decay being experienced in the state.
.
