By Lateef Adegbite
Festus Keyamo, minister of state, Labour and Employment and who is incidentally, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola, Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and All Progressive Congress, APC, Presidential Candidate, for the 2023, general elections, has given an insight ‘why there were security breaches in Nigeria’’, giving kudos to President Muhammadu Buhari,’’ response to Terrorism and Banditry activities over the last seven years’’.
Keyamo had told those that cares to listen that ‘’it is only in heaven, that’’ there is no security breach but we are on earth’’, meaning that there must be security breach. The minister’s remarks, while appearing on Channels Television, Politics Today, on Friday, August 5, 2022, may not be different from what the Katsina state born Nigerian President had said while receiving the Letters of credence from Ambassador James Kingston Christoff , the new Canadian, High Commissioner to Nigeria and Juan Alfred Miranda Oritz of the North American country of Mexico at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on Monday August 1st, 2022.
The Nigerian President had justified the high level of insecurity in the Sahel region, West and Central African sub regions to ‘’the political instability in the North African country of Libya. He may have shocked many when he said that ‘’Nigeria is not left out of the equation’’ but fighting to rid the country of the Lybyan exported terrorism, Banditry, kidnapping, which have also resulted into herder-farmer clashes in different parts of the country.
Take for instance, in Zamfara state alone, Ibrahim Magaji Dosara, the state Commissioner for information, had reportedly said that there were 30,000, Bandits.scattered in over 100 different Camps in forests in the state which the military and other security agencies have been battling to crush since 2011 but the situation appears to be getting worse on a daily basis.
There is no gain saying the fact that Banditry had been exported to Nigeria from Niger Republic. Mohammed Bazoum, the Nigerien President had said that that the problem of armed Banditry in his home country came from Madawa and Bayan Dutsin regions and escalated to Nigeria through the coutry’s Mahradi region.
Note that the Mahradi region and some other parts of Niger Republic also share border with Katsina Buhari home satte and Sokoto state. This may have informed why the Banditry Group fighters which had penetrated the ranks of the Armed herdsmen in the bush could easily find their way to aduna and Niger , home state of Ibrahim Babangida, a retired Army General and former Nigerian military President, home state forest where they are wreaking havoc and.
They were said to have even even extend their operation to the FCT. This is evident with the Kuje Jail break, where the prison cells were said to have been opened for 69 Commanders of the Islamic Fundamentalist Group Commanders escaped into thin air. The Authorities haddeclared the runaway BokOharam Commanders wanted forcing the Usman Alkali Baba, Inspector Of Police, ICP, to force his men to intensify a manhunt for them.
The jail break was said to have been quickly followed up by the terrorists, which were said to have set up cell residences in Niger, the neigbouring state to the FCT, which may have facilitated their attack on the Presidential Guard, which provides security to Abuja and the President Bwari Area.
Although, Keyamo, the minister of state , Laour and Employment had said that that the Commander-In- Chief , C-In-C, of the Nigerian Armed Forces, has effectively responded to the terrorists attack and the killing of some members of the Elite military guards in Abuja to avoid a repeat in the future, citing ‘’the case of the Bandits and their north east terrorist collaborators who were said to have developed cell residence in Niger state that were neutralized by the military in Abuja bushes
On August 6, 2022, the Bandits had attack on the Shola Quarters Community located behind the Federal Teachig Hospital, Katsina, Capital of Katsina state, home state of Buhari, where one person was said to have been killed and two others injured and two other couples abducted,, speaks volume. The attack was said to have come barely two months after the trigger hungry Bandits armed with sophisticated weapons invaded the Katsina community.
Scurity experts believe that the Katsina Community is vulnerable to Bandits attack because of its proximity to the Bandits enclaves located around Bgaje Community in Jibia Local government Area of the north western state.
Recall that the Jibia border was closed in August 19, 2019, alongside other borders across the country with the neighbouring Niger and the Central African country of Cameroun, by the Nigerian government due to continuous smuggling of Foreign parboiled rice, vehicles into the country as well as the activities of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol, smugglers from Nigeria to these neighbouring countries market. It was reopened in April 25, 2022, at the instance of the Nigerian President. The reopening of the Jibia border may have made it possible for people move freely in the area because of the relaxed security.
The attack on the Ktsina metropolis Community by the Bandits who may have infiltrated the area from Niger Republic through Jibia border may have encouraged Aminu Bello Masari a former Speaker of House of Representatives an and now governor of the Buhari home state and the security agencies to further tighen p security in Katsina city and its environs to checkmate the movement of people.
While the security agencies personnel in Katsina state are still grappling with the attack on Shola Quarters, a neighbouring Community to Kattsina metropolis attack, a gang of the Bandits Group, had on Friday August 4, 2022, attacked workers of Royal West Africa Ceramics Company in Ajaokuta, Kogi state. An eyewitness account said one Asian country of India expatriate, two police Inspectors and two company drivers were killed in the attack.
The Kogi state police Command had said that the two Inspectors died in the exchange of bullet with the hoodlums who were said to be armed to the teeth before the Area Command and a detachment of the military in the area reinforced to the scene of the incident , forcing the gunmen to flee into the bush as they could not stand the superior fir of the soldiers.
Kingsley Fanwo, the Kogi state Commissionr for Information , had said that the police and other security agencies are currently combing the area ‘’to apprehend the perpetrators of the attack and killing of the three Royal West Africa Ceramics workers, in Ajaokuta.
Last July, the Bandits were said to have killed three police men and five Vigilantees in an ambush in the Ajaokuta area, prompting Yahaya Bello, the state governor to suspend a traditional ruler and questioned the district political Administrator.
in Imo state, described as the heart of Ibo land, which had witnessed several Bandits attack 2019 is more pathetic., Four police officers were said to have been killed on Saturday, August 5, 2022, in Agwa Divisional Police Station, located in the Community , in Oguta Local Government Area.
Mike Abattam, the police spokesman reportedly said the armed Bandits ‘’burnt down parts of the police station and killed some officers on duty. But that was how he could go.
Mohammed Barde, the state Commissioner of Police, was said to have appealed to residents of Agwa and other neigbouring Communities ‘’to remain calm and go about their businesses, assuring them the police is on top of the situation’’.
An aggrieved President Buhari was said ‘’to have vowed to undertake all possible action in conducting a speedy investigation to the Agwa Divisional police Station killing in Senator Rochas Okrocha home state to bring the perpetrators to justice’’. That much was confirmed by Garba Shehu, a Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in a Statement.
The Nigerian President may have taken advantage of the Bandits attack on the Agwa police station resulting the killing of four officers to condemn the beheading of Six Nigerien after the police station incident by ‘’the beastly attackers’’ as he described them.
The President who could not hide his feelings had said that ‘’the reports of killings anywhere were sad and unwelcome’’, promising to restore peace and stability in the south east and the entire country in general before he vacates office in May 29, 2023. This is good news to Nigerians if he could keep to his promise. This is because, former President Goodluck Jonathan could not crush the north east of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe state based terrorists, which had claimed thousands of life, between 2009 and May 29, 2015, let alone tackle the Bandits Group activities in Zamfara, which had spread to other states in the north western geopolitical region and the north central state of Niger because he had said there BokoHaram sympathizer’s in his government.
The Bandits attck of Bali town, Headquarters of Bali Local Government Area of Taraba, home state of Theophilous Danjuma, a retired Army General and former minister of Defense during Olusegun Administration, in which they killed three persons and abducted unspecified number of people through a nearby bush in the town on Sunday, August 6, 2022, calls for questioning.
The Bandits were said to have entered around 1 Pm to launch their attack were said to have arrived on motorbikes shooting sporadically to scare residents and security operatives.For more than three hour, the Bandits were said to be total control of the town and no confrontation from the security agencies personnel. David Zaki, the leader of the TIV Cultural Group in the Bali Local Government Area had described the situation as worrisome asking ‘’what a country.
Indeed,the Presidential directive to the military to send the terrorists posing as a threat to the country to their Creator may have encouraged why the Lt. General Farouk Yahaya, Chief of Army Staff, CoAS, and Olayinka Isiaka Amao, an Air Marshall and Chief of Nigerian Air Force, NAF, and their men to be ruthless with the terrorist and Bandits.
The recent air strikes around the Mandara mountains in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno state by troops of the Air Task Force , ATF, of Operation Hadin Kai bear eloquent testimony to the fact that the military are out to send the Criminal elements to their creator s directed by the c-In-C.
The Air Task Force Operation Hadin Kai air strike I the Gwoza area was said have killed one Alhaji Modu,poular, Bem Bem, described as a notorious Commander of BokoHaram and 27 other fighters. The deceased BokoHaram Commander was said to be a drug baron who later joined an armed robbery gang in the state before finally joining the sect.
According to informed sources, Bem Bem, because of his expertise in handling weapons of destruction , he was said to have commandeered the displacement of Bama, a fishing Community in Borno state in 2014 and the killing of hundreds of residents of the town before declaring it a BooHaram Caliphate.
He was said to have worked under the supervision of a top leader of the Sect, Ali Ngoshe , from the Mali , and they were said to be hiding inside caves in Mandara mountain from where they were said to have coordinated the attacks in different parts of Nigeria, Niger and Cameroun. The ATF Operation Hadin Kai, may have succeeded in sending Bem Bem , the notorious Boko Haram Commander to his creator because they have acted on credible intelligence reports indicating hat that ISWAP fighters were converging in large numbers in the Mandara mountain with the intention to launch deadly attacks in Borno state. The ATF of Operation Hadin Kai troops fighter jets were said to have released their bombs within the Mandara mountain vicinity without missing targets.
Residents of Gwoza town had said that the wiping out of Bem Bem, the BokoHaram Commander from the face of the aarth was a big blow to both Boko Haram and ISWAP, as there will never be any terrorist Commander with experience in their fold who needs little orno supervision from other superior Commanders to take his insurgents out for operation in any Community or military baracks in the north east state.
It is not surpeising why the military High Command could beat their chest that the days of BokOharam and ISWAp as well the Bandits Group operating in the north west geopolitical region are numbered.
