Banditry has assumed a level of notoriety never known in the nation’s history before now even as its seeming ambiguous nature has allowed not a few disastrous tendencies to find a place. Thus, it is not uncommon in recent times for various horrendous acts of terror, killing, maiming and raping at will; sacking entire villages, reducing people’s ancestral homesteads to rubble and causing untold numbers of people deep anguish to fall under this tag of banditry.
Bandits have advanced in form and character such that they compete with conventional security outfits in terms of sophistication and the use of modern weaponry.
For instance, some outlaws led by a notorious kingpin, Dan Sadiya, killed 38 people among the hapless victims that they had abducted from a village in northern Zamfara State despite receiving N50 million ransom . In this dastardly incident, 56 people were taken from Banga village in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area in March and the terrorists demanded a ransom of one million naira per captive.
According to the chairman of the local government, Manniru Haidara Kaura, most of the victims were young people who were slaughtered like rams. He said: “What happened was that the bandits demanded ransom, and after some back-and-forth, they were given what they asked for. They then released 18 people, including 17 women and a young boy. According to survivors who were forced to witness the brutal killing of fellow hostages, three pregnant women among the hostages gave birth while in captivity, but all the newborns died due to lack of care.
Incidentally, the 2022 law that criminalised ransom payments and prescribed a 15-year jail-term for offenders has not changed the abduction landscape in the state. A few states are proposing a death penalty for such and related offences with Edo state being the first to do so.
Only recently in Kwara State, no fewer than 200 armed bandits, invaded Babanla community in Ifelodun Local Government Area, shooting and killing people, including a police officer.
It was reported that the assailants rode motorcycles into the serene community, headed to the Divisional Police Headquarters amidst heavy sporadic shooting where they killed the policeman.
After the successful invasion of the police facility, the outlaws in their numbers soon headed to the market, where they raided the traders. It was said that five people, besides the police officer were killed. This scene depicts what we see previously in the world of make-believe.
Not long before Kwara incident, over 70 vigilantes in a Plateau State suburb of Bokkos Local government were ambushed by gunmen and slaughtered. The case of plateau is one too many as it has become a recurring feature.
Recently, also, the Katsina State government indicated that over 100 personnel of the state-owned security outfit, Community Watch Corps, had been killed by bandits. Nasir Muazu, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, disclosed this in a statement. According to him, more than 30 police officers had also paid the ultimate price, and several soldiers lost their lives in the line of duty.
He urged people to report suspicious activities, and together, we will defeat evil. The 2022 law that criminalised ransom payments and prescribed a 15-year jail-term for offenders has not changed the abduction landscape.
That is why they Insider collaboration within the security agencies is no doubt a major factor hampering smooth operations against these agents of death. Until this sabotage is decisively addressed, the siege may be far over.
Besides the continuous one-off attacks by armed men across parts of the country, these scenarios in the North West and Middle-Belt suggest that there is still something that is lacking within the nation’s security architectural setting.
We urge that if current measures are not working, then there is need for an urgent rejig to make for some quick intervention as the situation is already deteriorating.
It is an emergency that must be treated as such. There should be national security summit put together with all the security arms, the National Security Adviser and the military top brass handling the situation with the seriousness it deserves. They should declare an emergency and seek an urgent fixing of the cracks within and beyond, otherwise we would be headed for a lawless state.
