* Schools, farms, homes under siege
* Security personnel paying the ultimate price
* As troops record significant progress in 2024
Despite obvious efforts by security agencies led by the country’s military, cases of insecurity have continued, DAUDA ISAMAIL and MARYAM SANNI write.
On Tuesday, November 5 last year, at least 10 farmers including women from Wayam and Belu-Belu villages in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State were reportedly killed by bandits.
According to residents, six of the victims were beheaded and attackers went away with their heads.
They said many people also sustained bullet wounds and were being treated at a clinic in Kagara, the Headquarters of Rafi LGA.
Many were also kidnapped during the attack that happened around 5am when the victims were observing their early morning prayers, thus making residents of Wayam, Belu-Belu, Madaka and adjoining communities to flee to Kagara town, the Headquarters of Rafi LGA.
Recall that in September 2024, the Coalition of Shiroro Associations in Niger State had raised the alarm that bandits and terrorists have enslaved their people forcing them to farm for the bandits, and that they had also dispossessed the villagers of their harvests especially soya beans and maize just as several of the villagers have relocated to Gwada, Zumba, and Lakpma towns.
Raising the alarm in Minna, the coalition through its spokesman, Mallam Saidu Usman flanked by other executive members of the group, said the situation was climaxed by the recent killings of no fewer than 13 villagers at Mai-Gero in Manta ward of the local government.
“It is disheartening that inhabitants from the affected communities have been forced to abandon their farmlands and ancestral homes for fear of being kidnapped or killed”
In 2022, it was reported that bandits were occupying at least 12 of the 25 LGAs in the state.
That same year, the governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, had disclosed that not less than seven out of the 25 LGAs in the state were frequently under attack by bandits and terrorists.
This was even as the number of out-of-school children in the state had reached over 298,962, the highest in the North-central geo-political zone of the country.
The governor, who spoke at the flag-off of the North-central campaign against out-of-school children in Minna, the state capital, did not name the affected local governments but reports have it that Shiroro, Munya, Rafi, Magama, Mariga, Mashegu and Wushishi are some of the bandit-prone local governments in the state.
Bello said there is a nexus between the number of out-of-school children and insecurity that has plagued the seven local governments in the state, adding that:” When we talk about out-of-school children, the question begging for answer is why are there so many out-of-school children, obviously our size and current security situation plays a major role.
“To access some schools in Niger State, some pupils trek five to 10 kilometres to get to schools. With the security situation, if such a pupil is a girl, no parent will dare it especially when 10 to 11-year-old girls are being raped.”
The story isn’t different in other North Western states such as Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara and others. Even in Borno and other North Eastern states, news of terrorist attacks have continued with cases of bombings seemingly resurfacing.
It would be recalled that in August, bandits abducted over 150 persons and rustled over 1,000 cattle in some villages in Gobir Emirate of Sokoto State, Daily Trust can report.
The incident happened few days after the death in kidnappers’ den, of the Emir of Gobir, Alhaji Isa Muhammad Bawa, who was also the District Head of Gatawa.
The monarch was, on July 29, kidnapped alongside his son and six others on the Sokoto-Sabon Birni Road. After that, a number of other attacks were also reported in the state.
A recent survey disclosed that insecurity has led to closure of 113 schools in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States alone.
Observers, including Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, former Minister of State for Education, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission, and Cristian Mundrate, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, have therefore called for measures to secure schools to enable children to learn without hindrances.
Sadly, the South East is also bedevilled with widespread insecurity cases of “unknown gunmen” seem to be on a spree kidnapping, maiming, destroying and killing unarmed citizens and security operatives alike.
But despite perpetrators of insecurity being undeterred as they keep innocent citizens, schools, farms anr their homes under siege, while they make security agents pay the ultimate price, Nigeria’s military, Police and other security agencies have remained undeterred and unfazed as they recorded significant progress in making the country safe for citizens and residents too..
But despite these challenges, the millitary is no doubt prepared and recorded significant successes throughout 2024.
According to the Nigerian Defence Headquarters, about 8,034 terrorists were neutralized, 11,623 apprehended and rescued 6,376 hostages.
Director Defense Media Operations Major General Edward Buba, disclosed this while briefing defense correspondents on the successes achieve by the by Armed Forces of Nigeria from January to December, 2024.
He noted that troops have since the beginning of the year been confronted by different threats in five active theatres of operations across the country, which include NE, NW, NC, SS and SE.
According to him, “Troops aggression across the various theatres of Operation since the beginning of the year culminated in 8,034 neutralised terrorists, 11,623 arrest and 6,376 rescued hostages. Furthermore, troops recovered 8,216 weapons, 211,459 ammunition and denied the oil theft of an estimated sum over #57 bn (N57,052,218,551.00) only.
“The breakdown of the recoveries are as follows: 4,053 AK47 rifles, 1,123 locally fabricated guns, 731 dane guns and 240 pump action guns. Others are; 120,247 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 41,515 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 5,373 cartridges, 1,940 assorted arms and 25,664 assorted ammunitions.
“Additionally, troops recovered: 53,101,430 litres of stolen crude oil, 9,179,181 litres of illegally refined AGO and 90,595 litres of DPK. Others are; 156,095 litres of PMS amongst other items.
“Overall, the military is keeping up the pressure through ongoing operations in the various theatres across the country. The military is through these operations, increasingly creating conditions in which terrorist can not carry out acts of terror or harm citizens.”
He emphasised that the armed forces is constantly examining ways to improve the effectiveness of its operations and guarantee the safety of citizens.
“On the whole, the armed forces is constantly examining ways to improve the effectiveness of its operations and guarantee the safety of citizens. Relatedly, operations are on an upward trajectory to winning the war,” he concluded.
