A new wave of bandit attacks is sweeping across many communities in Bauchi State, leaving deaths, abductions and massive displacements in its trail. In recent weeks, tens of locals have been killed, injured or abducted as residents abandon their homes in droves for dear life, Weekend Trust has learnt.

Over the past two years, parts of Darazo and Burra District, Darazo and Ningi local government areas of the state have witnessed attacks, despite efforts by the security agencies to contain the situation. The violence is now spreading across Alkaleri LGA, affecting several communities and leaving scores of people, including security personnel, dead and several others injured.

More recently, communities in Gwana and Duguri districts in Alkaleri have witnessed a series of killings and abductions. Other affected communities are Digare, Kargo, Yelo, Kare-Kare, Digau, Tabanni, Ruga, Bunga, Futuk and Mansur. Many residents have since relocated for safety.

On Sunday, February 22, at about 5:30 p.m., bandits in large numbers invaded Gwana community on motorcycles. They first engaged soldiers at a military camp in a gun battle, reportedly killing two soldiers and forcing others to flee the camp.

The bandits later moved into the community, where they murdered five people and abducted five others, including one Jarman Gwana, ‘Titi Gwana and Adamu Danladi Gwana. As of the time of filing this report, the abducted victims are still in captivity.

Adamu’s father, Malam Danladi Gwana, told Weekend Trust that banditry had been on the increase in Alkaleri in recent days, noting that dozens of residents had deserted their communities due to incessant attacks.

“The attackers strike at any time they so wish; they visit us both day and night. Anytime they come, they kill, abduct and loot our belongings, especially foodstuffs and provisions. When they first came to Gwana community on Thursday (February 19), they killed five people, including a married woman, and abducted five others. However, we suspect that their mission in Gwana was to kill my younger brother Adamu because when they arrived around 1 pm, they went straight to our family house looking for him.

“Unfortunately, when they reached our house, Adamu was sitting in front of the house. They even passed him when suddenly one of them pointed at him. On hearing this, Adamu ran into the house and they fired shots at him, but he managed to escape through the back door. They abducted his (Adamu’s) wives and my son Adamu.

“On their way out of the community, they kidnapped a couple and their neighbour. So, in all, the attackers killed five people and abducted five others. Our people have deserted their homes and relocated to Gombe, Kashere and Futuk communities for safety,” Danladi explained.

Malam Muhammad Sani, a resident of Kafin-Duguri, another village attacked by the bandits on Friday, February 20, said the assailants came from the popular Dajin Mada Forest, killed four members of the community and injured seven others.

However, he said luck ran out of the bandits as over 20 of them were gunned down by the local hunters who engaged them, recalling that “no one can tell how the bandits managed to enter the village unnoticed. We only saw them in the middle of the village while we were preparing to observe the sunset prayers.”

“They started shooting sporadically into the air to scare people. They attempted to rustle our cows and other domestic animals, but we resisted. Our local vigilantes and hunters engaged them in a gun fight. Twenty bandits were killed, but four members of the community, a female and three males, paid the supreme price, while several other people from our side sustained varying degrees of injury. We fought them for almost an hour before they finally retreated.

“My younger brother, Yusha’u Aliyu, and one Umaru Barde were shot in the legs. My sister-in-law, who is pregnant, was also shot in the stomach. The bandits injured seven people. As I speak with you, we stay awake all night guarding our village. We have taken our wives and children to safer places. The assailants rustled 57 cows and snatched three motorbikes during the attack. This is the situation we are in now. This is the first attack on the Kafin-Duguri community,” Sani added.

He lamented the absence of a standby security team in Duguri, noting that security personnel are only deployed for patrol or based on requests. Sani, however, commended Governor Bala Mohammed for his prompt response after the attack, saying the governor had not only visited the community but also donated to the affected families. According to him, the governor donated N1.5m each to the families who lost their loved ones and N500,000 each to those of the injured victims.

Also, a resident of Digare, who preferred anonymity, told Weekend Trust that banditry activities resurfaced in the area about three months ago, but the frequency of attacks had been high In recent weeks. He said though there is the presence of security personnel in some major towns across Alkaleri, the bandits wield superior weapons.

“The first time they came to Digare, they killed a woman and kidnapped six people, including one Tijjani Ahmad alias Shekarau, but they later abandoned two of the abducted persons – a minor and an aged woman – at the entrance of the village. Two days later, the bandits demanded N40m ransom for Shekarau. They slashed the amount to N5m after long bargaining with his family and demanded N3m for the release of a man and his two wives.

“Again, two weeks ago, the bandits invaded a neighboring village called Malla and abducted a community leader known as Jauro. Unfortunately, they killed the man after collecting N5m ransom from his family. As I’m speaking with you, villages and communities like Mansur, Digau, Kare-Kare, Tabanni, Yelo, Ruga, Futuk, Bunga, Kargo, and Digare were all empty. The occupants have relocated to other places for safety. From Tabanni village to Karim LGA of Taraba State is about 80km, but at present, all the villages in between have been deserted. The bandits have displaced the occupants,” he said.

Malam Musa Shehu, a resident of Kargo, also told Weekend Trust that virtually all the villages around Mansur were empty, as the residents had relocated to safer places for fear of attacks. He recalled that the bandits stormed the village on Thursday Februrary 19, after raiding Gale, a neighbouring community, the same day.

“Luckily, our local hunters engaged them in a gun battle, but they succeeded in abducting only a woman. On Sunday, the bandits stormed Digare and Gwana communities and attacked Mansur community the next day. We learnt that they also attacked Bunga village on the same Sunday, killing one person and rustling domestic animals before proceeding to Tabanni village, where they abducted scores of people.

“The Tabanni people resorted to spiritual intervention by inviting some Islamic scholars for a special prayer session. Unfortunately for the community, the bandits returned the following day and abducted some of the Islamic scholars invited for the special prayers.

“They killed five security personnel: soldiers and civil defense officials at a security camp in Mansur. They also burnt two patrol vans belonging to the military and police, respectively. On Tuesday, the bandits returned to Mansur and looted some shops housing food items. On the same day, they stormed Kargo and Digare communities, but they only broke some shops and carted away food items.”

Shehu lamented that virtually all the villages that shared borders with Plateau and Taraba states had been deserted and their occupants relocated to Yelo, Yobe, Gombe, Kashere and Futuk, which are relatively safe.

Our reporter gathered that banditry attacks occur almost daily across Gwana and Duguri districts respectively. According to a resident of Gwana, Yusuf Ibrahim, bandits could be seen moving freely across Bauchi communities that share boundaries with Dajin Madam in Karim LGA of Taraba state and some communities in Plateau state.

Pattern of attacks

The bandits’ mode of operation in the affected Bauchi communities is similar to what transpires in Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto states. The attackers, our reporter gathered, typically invade the targeted communities in large numbers on motorcycles. Upon arrival, they open fire indiscriminately, causing panic among residents to force them to flee their homes.

The bandits also don’t have a specific time for operation; they operate at night and in broad daylight, killing and abducting their victims during operations. Residents, however, noted that unlike in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kebbi states, the bandits had not started placing levies on the communities in Bauchi state.

A resident of Gwana, Muhammad Musa, said, “We have never heard of where the bandits place a levy on a community in Bauchi. They kill, abduct, collect ransom, rustle animals and loot items, especially food items and provisions, but they don’t place ransom on communities. We are still going to our farms freely because the bandits did not stop us from cultivating our farmlands.

“We observed that the bandits are not originally from Bauchi because most of them don’t know the terrain in Bauchi. Only a few of them know Bauchi because they always move around with some guides and this indicates that the majority of them are not from this area.

“I hope the government will take advantage of this to crush these people before they understand the terrain. If the bandits can cause the level of destruction despite their ignorance of the terrain, tell me what the situation would be when they fully understand the terrain?”

Reasons behind attacks

Weekend Trust gathered that the renewed banditry attacks on communities across Darazo, Alkaleri and Ningi LGAs might not be unconnected with the arrest and continued detention of one Kachalla Gambo, alleged repentant bandits’ kingpin. Gambo had allegedly repented and returned to Mansur village where he lives with his family. However, about two months ago, he was invited by the police and since then, has not returned.

Further findings revealed that when Gambo’s younger brother went for his bail, he was also detained. A resident of the Mansur community, who preferred anonymity, told our reporter that “it was after this incident we started witnessing deadly attacks across major towns and villages in Alkaleri.”

“We learnt that Gambo’s younger brother, Kachalla Auta, is allegedly masterminding the recent attacks on our communities with a view to compelling the government to release his brothers. Someone, who is negotiating with bandits for the release of his uncle, confirmed that the bandit he was communicating with once told him that we will never have peace in our communities until Gambo and his brother are released,” he added.

However, a reliable source and security expert, who preferred to be anonymous, confided in Weekend Trust that the recent attacks on communities in Darazo were connected to the ongoing dispute over a traditional title, saying, “It is purely family affairs, but unfortunately, the crisis was attributed to banditry.”

“Even the recent attack in Duguri is only being amplified by some actors, especially the security personnel, to get money from the government. It is not possible to have an influx of over 10,000 bandits into Duguri community within a short time. There is no way such a huge number of people can move into such a town without being noticed.

“So, I think something must be done to get to the root of the matter. The government should investigate the matter thoroughly and get to the root of the matter to address it once and for all; otherwise, the attack will continue to escalate to other communities. The sooner the government faces this matter, the better for the communities affected, the state and indeed the federal government,” the source stated.

Police react

The Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Command, SP Nafi’u Habib, confirmed banditry attacks across Alkaleri LGA of the state, but said the situation was under control as more security personnel had been deployed to the affected communities to protect locals.

The police spokesperson also reaffirmed synergy among personnel of the Joint Task Force operating in the state, saying, “With ongoing coordinated operations by the Joint Task Force, we will end banditry in the state. I’m appealing to personnel of the sister security agencies to remain resolute in the ongoing fight against banditry in Bauchi state.

He added, “Beyond deployment of security personnel, heavy war weapons were provided to security personnel operating in the affected communities to enable them to counter any attempt by the bandits to attack the community. With superior weaponry, our security personnel can contain the situation within a short time. So, I can assure the general public that security agencies are up and doing in protecting their lives and properties.

“However, the security agencies largely rely on intelligence to win the war. There is no way we can defeat the bandits without getting reliable and accurate intelligence about their activities. So, I am appealing to the general public to always support the security agencies by providing them with useful information about the bandits. This will greatly help in handling the situation.

“The public should rest assured that the identity of anybody who provides intelligence to security agencies will be duly protected. People should feel free to provide intelligence to security personnel. The issue of insecurity requires a collective approach and the community’s vital role in the crusade is to provide intelligence to security.”

SP Habib also appealed to the public not to panic whenever there is a banditry attack on the community, saying, “This is one of the problems we are facing. Sometimes, people spread rumours of attacks and people panic unnecessarily.

“Also, whenever people are relocating to safer communities, they should always be mindful of the people they are going to because criminal elements may disguise and hide themselves in those communities as displaced persons.”

Defend yourselves, Bauchi Gov tells residents

The Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala A. Mohammed, has urged the people affected by the recent banditry attacks in Alkaleri to be brave and defend themselves, saying the government is ready to support them to win the fight. The governor stated this while addressing some displaced persons in Duguri community, Alkaleri.

He said, “All you need from the government is to support you to fight these bandits. We must provide you with the desired weapons to protect yourselves. We will also direct the security personnel to give you the necessary training to fight the bandits. But you have to stay in your communities and protect yourselves. No one will fight this war for you.

“Recently, the bandits invaded Kafin Duguri and the people engaged them in a fight; the bandits killed four members of the community, but over 20 bandits were killed. So, you need to face these bandits squarely. You are brave people and I’m sure you can fight this war. No matter what, you have to go back to your villages and towns and face the bandits. We will support you to win the fight by the grace of God. The bandits’ mission is to exploit our wealth.

“They learnt about the discovery of oil in Bauchi and Gombe, so they want to exploit this untapped resource. That is why we banned illegal mining in the state, becausee the bandits have abducted hundreds of illegal miners and forced them into banditry. So, the bandits came to take over our lands to exploit our God-given resources.

“You don’t have any place to call home apart from your communities. Look at it now, the primary school accommodating you as displaced persons is grossly inadequate to contain all of you. So, where are we running to? Wallahi, we will not go anywhere; we will rather stay and die in our communities. Nobody is going to force us to leave our communities. We should get prepared and go back to our communities. It is not an easy fight, but we have to be brave and face the criminals. Those who were killed died as martyrs. We don’t have any place that is better than where we were born.”

Govt, locals must work together –Ex-General

A former military officer, Brigadier General B. M. Ibrahim (rtd), maintained that the issue of banditry in Bauchi requires a holistic approach, saying individuals, communities, local, state and federal governments must put heads together to address the situation before it goes out of control.

General Ibrahim said although the bandits had already dominated a vast forest stretching through Yankari, Wase in Plateau state and some parts of Taraba state, if the government at all levels can work together, the situation will be brought under control.

“It is unfortunate that these bandits have dominated the forest. But the government can still fight them. What they are doing is criminal, so the issue of negotiating with them doesn’t even arise. So, individual levels should report activities of the bandits to security agencies, while our communities should not cooperate with criminals. They should also support the government with intelligence.

“Our local government authorities should ensure adequate provisions of shelter and food to the displaced persons in their territories. The local government should ensure that the displaced persons are being taken care of. The state government should support the local government in handling the situation, and also provide logistics to security personnel operating in our communities.

“The federal government, on its part, should establish a strong intelligence network for our security agencies. Modern facilities, such as drones and other related facilities for intelligence gathering, should be provided to our personnel. This will greatly help them in winning the war,” he said.

The retired General further said the government should also treat this problem from the perspective of the economy. According to him, banditry has a strong connection to the nation’s socio-economic situation.

He said: “Whether we like it or not, banditry is part of our socio-economic problems; therefore, the government must be present, especially in our rural communities, by providing the rural communities with their basic needs. Our communities as they are now are conducive to criminality.

“The government must also reduce the level of unemployment and poverty in the country. We have millions of unemployed youths across our communities and everybody knows the danger of idle minds. If we can do all these, I am sure banditry could be addressed within a short time.” (Weekend Trust)