Kwara, in Keana Local Council of Nasarawa State, is an agrarian community, peaceful, and devoid of criminal activities. This reputation, however, could be fading as the area appears to have become a transit den for kidnappers and other criminals.

Recent cases of kidnappings, armed robbery, organ harvesting, and herder-farmer clashes have become worrisome. Nasarawa, in the last three months, recorded series of criminal activities, which, in several cases, resulted in fatalities. Hence, residents cower in apprehension, uncertain about the security of their life and property.

Major towns such as Keffi, Akwanga, and Lafia have witnessed incidences of attacks by bandits, with little intervention by security operatives tasked with protecting residents.

The recent abduction of eight students of the Federal University of Lafia has stirred suspicion that some communities harbour kidnappers and also reap benefits from proceeds of the crime. Kwara turns out to be one of the locations where several kidnapped victims are released or dumped.

Some community members lamented that since periodic military patrols around Kwara and environs stopped, criminals have had ample opportunity to carry out their enterprise.

A resident, who spoke to The Guardian, on condition of anonymity, said: “We have complained to our village head over the disappearance of the military patrol. In recent times, we have been seeing strange faces, who are not members of our community.”

One of the eight kidnapped students, a 29-year-old lady, narrated how after ransom had been paid to the kidnappers, she was dumped near a village called Kwara.

“When we were released by our abductors, after collecting N3.5 million, they marched us to a village and asked us to go. There, we saw light at a distance and started moving towards it. When we got there, we discovered it was a community called Kwara. The people took us to the house of the chief, where we narrated our ordeal. They wanted us to pass the night, but we pleaded that they evacuate us to Lafia. They called the police, who arrived and moved us to Lafia.

She said the abducted “were three girls and five boys” who lived in the same compound in Gandu village. According to her, “the kidnappers stormed the compound, which is opposite the school, at about 2:30 a.m., and marched us out.”

She described the abductors as five young and armed Fulani men that forced them to walk through the bushes till day break. “The following day, we continued walking from 6:00 p.m. till 7:30 a.m., amid threats and beatings. We drank only garri with dirty water. For more than five days, we didn’t have a bath. We were tired and hungry.”

Meanwhile, students of the university had embarked on a peaceful protest, calling on government to provide them with adequate protection. In the process, they were forcefully dispersed by security operatives, who cut short their planned march to Nasarawa State Government House.

Senior Special Adviser (Public Affairs) to Governor Abdullahi Sule, Peter Ahemba, expressed the government’s concern over kidnappings in the state, despite efforts to protect life and property. He assured that the administration is working closely with security agencies to flush out persons involved in criminal activities.

“As part of efforts to ensure safety of the students of Federal University of Lafia, the government has imposed a curfew and directed security operatives to strictly enforce the order and deal decisively deal with anybody who violates it,” he said.

He added that the government has partnered with the 177 Guards Battalion in Keffi to carry out patrols around flashpoints. Public Relations Officer of the Nasarawa State Police Command, DSP Ramhan Nansel, said following the curfew in Gandu village, normalcy has been restored. He added that a joint security operation to flush out kidnappers was undertaken in the Nasarawa Eggon, Wamba, Doma and Toto areas and assured that the command would not relent its efforts.

(The Guardian)

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