Vigilante group made up of Hausa natives on Saturday launched a crackdown on those they tagged as ‘bandits informants’ in Anka town, Anka local government area of Zamfara state, North-West Nigeria.
Popular Zamfara Activist, Yusuf Anka made the revelation on twitter saying that many ‘informants’ were slaughtered during the crackdown launched by native Hausa Vigilante members.
The tweet reads;
Heavily Armed Hausa Vigilante Group invaded Anka today Slaughteing scores of people they accused of been informants or Fulani. The group claims to have a lot of informants, One of their Victims, Alh. Aliyu Dareta a fulani leader in Anka.
This resorts to lawlessness are symptoms of anarchy and failure of a state. The government must be willing to protect the people, investigste and prosecute criminals.
Heavily Armed Hausa Vigilante Group invaded Anka today Slaughteing scores of people they accused of been informants or Fulani. The group claims to have a lost of informants, One of their Victims, Alh. Aliyu Dareta a fulani leader in Anka.
Zamfara has suffered consistent bloodshed where thousands of natives have been killed in the last six and a half years in attacks blamed on Fulani terrorists group the Nigerian media and government chose to call bandits.
There have been claims from some section of the public in Zamfara that the victims of the attacks and mass killings going on in the state have been mostly Hausa natives and Saturday’s onslaught further lend credence to such claims.
Since the coming to power of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, Fulani militia groups have intensified their campaigns of violence in different parts of the country, sacking communities and inflicting maximum casualties.
President Buhari who himself is a Fulani man has done little in tackling the crisis which many view as an attempt to takeover indigenous lands in parts of the country.
Mourners during the mass burial of the 38 victims of the attack. Photo credit: Middle Belt Times
Survivors who are now internally displaced persons (IDPs) as a result of the September 26 deadly terrorist herdsmen attack which rocked Madamai and Abun communities are still living in extreme fear due to absence of security personnel in the communities.
Middle Belt Times had reported how 38 villagers were massacred in a barbaric manner by terrorists suspected to be Fulani herdsmen militia during a Sunday, September 26 attack on the agrarian communities.
Investigation carried out by this newspaper revealed that two weeks after the terror group killed 38 persons and burnt down at least 40 houses, the over 3,000 survivors who are now IDPs are living in extreme fear and uncertainties as the government has refused to deploy security to the area.
Anthony Timothy, A Kaura youth Coalition official told this reporter that the two Communities of Madamai and Abun have been completely deserted.
“The people no longer live there, only the brave men stay there to watch over what was left by the terrorists while the women, children and others who are vulnerable return to Mallagum every evening to sleep.” He said.
Timothy further said that some of the displaced persons have had to relocate to Kagoro and Kwoi towns to seek refuge in relative’s homes.
“Some who have relatives in Kagoro have gone to live with them, some even went as far as Kwoi town to stay.”
This reporter also spoke with the Catholic Priest of St. Thomas Parish, Mallagum, Rev. Fr Cosmos Magaji who lost many parishioners to the attack. Fr Magaji who had to flee the community after threats to his life were made by yet to be identified persons said the current situation ‘is disturbing’.
“As I speak to you now, the people are still displaced, they cannot go back to their ancestral communities for fear of the unknown.
“Plans were on ground to have them all under one IDP camp. The caretaker chairperson of the local government approved a primary school to be used as a makeshift IDP camp but the challenge is that the police has refused to deploy security to enable the proposed camp kickstart.
“I was informed that the Police Area Commander in charge of Kafanchan area said he cannot deploy policemen to any camp that is not fenced.
“In the whole of this area there is no school that is fenced, so what do they want the displaced persons to do?.” Fr Magaji said.
The Priest also complained about the inadequacy of relief materials supplied by the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
“SEMA actually brought some relief materials but it is very inadequate considering the number of persons affected. Magaji said.
The items brought by SEMA as confirmed by MBT from the Priest includes;
60 bags 10kg Rice
20 cartoons of indomie
20 pieces of 6inches mattresses
10 jerricans of10 litres Palm oil
10 jerricans of 10litres ground nut oil.
When contacted, the SEMA Director of Relief and Disaster Management, Mr Ya’u told this reporter via telephone that the Agency is not comfortable with setting up IDP camps in the area for obvious reasons such as security. Ya’u also said the Agency has learnt from experience that IDP camps are often abused and exploited negatively by those he called criminals who used IDP camps for selfish interests.
“As an Agency, we are not encouraging people to gather in IDP camps, this is because we do not know who the attackers are and having them in camps could further endanger their lives.
“What we advise for now is that people should move in and live in neighbouring communities while we continue to assist them with relief materials to alleviate their sufferings.
“We are also in touch with his Excellency the governor of the state to provide the communities with building materials so they can rebuild and return to their communities as soon as possible.” Ya’u said.
The Director also said that the Agency is at the moment working on being proactive instead of always reacting to emergency situations.
“As an Agency, we do not just want to be providing relief materials, we want to prevent situations that could lead to emergencies in the state.
“We are working hand in hand with the Kaduna Peace Commission and communities in the state to identify the problems and possibly tackle them before they become emergency situations.” He said.
When contacted the Area Commander of Kafanchan, ACP Danladi Ibrahim denied the allegations of refusing to deploy Security to the camp saying no such camp has been set up.
“Our duty is to deploy security, we cannot say we will not send security to the area.
“The question is, have setup any IDP camp? The arrangement is between them and the caretaker chairperson of the local government.
“When they set up a camp and inform us, of course we will deploy security to the camp.” He said.
As at the time of filing this report, all efforts to get the Caretaker chairperson of Kaura local government area, Mrs Naomi Anguwa to comment on the matter proved abortive as her calls were neither taken nor returned. An SMS sent to her line was also not immediately replied.
No fewer than 12 villagers have been reported killed as group of bandits attacked people of Sakajiki village in Kaura Namoda Emirate in Zamfara State.
According to Channels Tv, the Zamfara State Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Shehu confirmed the incident on Friday. Saying, casualties recorded in the incident would have been more if not for the response if the police operatives deployed to the area.
Report reveals that the bandits arrived at the village at about 9pm on Thursday and left the following morning around 4am on Friday, in the process, a dozen persons were killed.
Several shops and houses were razed, the police outpost in the area was also set ablaze as well as several other vehicles, one of which belonged to the police.
Meanwhile, search for more dead bodies are still going.
The team of police mobile force operatives tried their best to repel the attack, but they were purportedly overpowered by the bandits.
Terror group suspected to be Fulani terrorists yesterday, 15 October killed three persons in Nkeidonwro community, Miango District, Bassa local government area of Kaduna state, North Central Nigeria, Middle Belt Times can confirm.
The terrorists invaded the agrarian community in the early hours of Friday and began shooting sporadically “in their usual manner” a resident of Miango told this newspaper on condition of anonymity.
“They came in like they always do and by the time they finished their mission, three of our people have been confirmed dead while one, a minor sustained gunshot injury. He said
“A man and his son were among those killed while another of his son, a minor sustained injury.
The names of the persons killed were given as;
Reuben Sunday 28 years old
Anis David 42 years old
Abednego Amos 8 years old
A certain 12 years old Emmanuel Amos sustained injury and is currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital in the area.
It would be recalled that the same community was attacked by herdsmen in September 2021 and two people were killed while another two sustained injuries.
Bassa local government area of Plateau state has witnessed several of such attacks this year with at least 70 people killed in July and over 300 houses and farms destroyed by the rampaging terrorists.
Residents and motorists plying the Lafia-Shendam Road connecting Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba and Bauchi states have called on the Federal Government to rehabilitate the road to reduce associated hardship and deaths.
Our correspondent who visited the road observed that some parts had become death traps as robbers take advantage of its dilapidated condition to attack motorists almost on a daily basis.
The road which links three states from the southern axis of Nasarawa State was constructed by the Federal Government in 1976. Since then, no rehabilitation and maintenance have been carried out on it.
The journey between Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, and Shendam, Plateau State, which would have taken about an hour, now takes four hours due to the road’s deplorable condition. The about 60km road is now characterised by deep potholes and some areas completely washed away.
Residents and motorists along the road who are predominantly farmers lamented that they had been subjected to untold hardship over the years due to a lack of maintenance and total neglect of the road by the Federal Government.
A resident of Akurba community in the area, Shehu Musa, who spoke with our correspondent on the deplorable condition of the road, narrated how a woman and her son lost their lives in a motor accident on the road while they were heading for their village.
She said, “This road has caused the death of many innocent Nigerians. The portholes on the road are many and that is why accidents occur on it. Two months ago, a woman who lives in the Bakin Rijiya community with her 15-year-old son were involved in a motor crash on their way to their village. It was a head-on collision with another vehicle. The boy died on the spot but his mother died after a few days in a hospital.’’
Residents of the area have also called for the presence of security agencies to always be on patrol on the Lafia-Shendam road to check activities of bandits on the route. They noted that if the government could ensure that there was a checkpoint after every three kilometres of the road, activities of the criminals terrorising motorists, passengers and residents would be curbed.
A peasant farmer in Mai-Akuya community in the area, Ibrahim Abubakar, decried lack of security agents’ presence on the Road which he attributed to the reason bandits were harassing residents and motorists on the axis.
She said, “I am a peasant farmer and after harvest, I transport my farm produce to the Asakio market to sell and make profit. But with the activities of criminals who block the road almost on a daily basis, I am now scared to ply the road because I don’t want to be kidnapped or killed. There are no police or military checkpoints from Lafia to Sabon-gida Bakin Kogi, which is the boundary between Nasarawa and Plateau states. The bandits attack and kidnap our people and nothing is being done about it.’’
A resident of Adogi community in the area, Haliru Ibrahim, was seen fetching sand from a nearby river in the community with his wheelbarrow to fill the bad spots on the road. He told our correspondent that he was moved to sand-fill the road because of the rate of accidents that had claimed the lives of some people who plied the road.
Ibrahim stated, “The reason I am filling some of the bad spots with sand is because it has claimed lives of some people who travel from Lafia to Shendam in Plateau State. The road is bad. Nobody asked me to do this. I have been doing this for about five years. I bought the wheelbarrow I use for the work.’’
A commercial driver, Mallam Danladi Ibrahim, who has been plying the road for over 20 years, narrated his experience on the road to Saturday PUNCH.
Ibrahim said, “As a commercial driver, I have been plying the Lafia-Shendam Road for over 20 years. I must say that it has been difficult for me these years because of the state of the road and the insecurity that we are experiencing as drivers. But I don’t have a choice because I have to work to take care of my family members. The activities of robbers and kidnappers are worrisome. Almost every Monday, they block the road to rob businessmen and women going to Asakio market to buy goods. We are going through a difficult situation on this road.’’
Another commercial driver, Biliya Muhammed, stated how he was stopped alongside his passengers on the road by robbers who he said dispossessed them of their valuables.
“I once plied the road with some passengers from Lafia to Shendam when some robbers robbed us of money and phones. We have been going through several challenges on the road. The government should help us repair the road and direct security agents to always patrol it.’’
In his comment, a traditional ruler in the area, Emir of Adogi, Alhaji Ladan Omaku, said the about 60 kilometer Lafia-Shendam Road had caused the death of many.
He also lamented the absence of the police and other security agencies on the road which he said was responsible for the increased insecurity on the axis.
Omaku stated, “This road has been like this for many years and we have been appealing to the government to come to our aid because of the challenges we face. Some parts of the road are bad and criminals use the opportunity to rob people.
“Recently, heavily armed men blocked the road and robbed passengers going to the popular Asakio market. I call on the federal and state governments to consider that this road is important to us and help us repair it as it links many communities in the state and also serves as a link road to Plateau, Taraba and Bauchi states. Bandits are taking advantage of the bad road to attack our people and rob them of their belongings. The government needs to help us out of this situation.’’
A top government official at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press on the matter said the ministry had been doing its best to reduce accidents on the road.
When our correspondent spoke with the engineer in charge of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency in the state, Hafsat Muhammed, she said that the agency carried out a project between March and May this year and was able to patch some dangerous spots on the road.
Muhammed said, “We have done a lot on that road because the condition you met it is not how it was before. As of January this year, the road was in a state of total disrepair but we had a project there from March to May and we were able to patch and overlay some parts of the road.’’
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who was in the state to inspect some of the ongoing Federal Government projects, said the government was aware of the challenges being faced by users of the road.
He said, “The Nasarawa State Governor applied that he should be allowed to reconstruct and dualise some parts of the road and we have accepted that he can work on the road. The Lafia-Shendam Road has been in need of attention since the 1990s before we came to government. We didn’t promise Nigerians to do everything, we only promised to do our best and that is what we have been doing.’’
The police in Jigawa have arrested a 25-year-old herder, who allegedly trespassed into a farmland and destroyed crops worth N200,000, at Takatsaba village, Suletankarkar Local Government Area of the state.
ASP Lawan Shiisu, the command Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in the state, confirmed the arrest in a statement in Dutse on Thursday.
He said the police also arrested his 73 cows and 13 sheep that strayed into the farmland on Oct. 10.
“Information received from a source revealed that on Oct. 10, at about 1920hrs, a herder trespassed into the farmland of Habu Sa’idu of Takatsaba village in Suletankarkar LGA and his animals ate and destroyed his farm crops.
“Residents from the said village accompanied by the complainant went to challenge the herdsman, who became violent and inflicted various degrees of injuries on the five persons.
Shiisu noted that no life was lost during the incident, adding that the situation had been brought under control.
He said investigation into the matter is ongoing and efforts are on to arrest the fleeing suspects.
About 24 ISWAP fighters including top-ranking Commanders while attempting to attack a military convoy were killed at Ngamdu axis by airstrikes on Wednesday evening
PRNigeria gathered that among the ISWAP high-ranking Commanders who were eliminated in foiled attempts to attack the military convoy and Forward Operating Base (FOB) included Yaya Ebraheem, Baba Chattimari and Abu Adam Oubaida.
Meanwhile, ISWAP Deputy Jaysh in Sambisa, Modou Bacheer Oukocha, is among those fatally wounded.
A top military intelligence officer told PRNigeria that while the convoy of ground troops engaged the ISWAP fighters in a firefight, the air component from the Nigerian Airforce (NAF) arrived at the scene and bombarded the locations of the terrorists.
The source said: “A military convoy was moving between Damaturu to Maiduguri when it got intelligence of impending attacks on a FOB at Ngamdu axis. The convoy quickly made a U-turn to reinforce the base after sending signals for air cover.
“En route to Ngamdu, the military convoy encountered ISWAP fighters and engaged them. A firefight ensued before the sudden arrival of fighter jets that shelled the enemies’ locations. Many of the terrorists were killed.
“The well-coordinated operation of the Nigerian Army and Air Task Force with the support of intelligence components in the swift response is highly commendable.”
Nigeria Air Force (NAF) fighter helicopters, with the support of ground troops, had repelled a terrorist attack launched at a military base in Ngamdu by ISWAP insurgents on Tuesday as reported by PRNigeria.
However, four soldiers paid the supreme price, while an officer who sustained serious injuries while engaging the terrorists, is fast recuperating from a military health facility.Ngamdu is a border town between Yobe and Borno states.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, has said that controversial Islamic scholar Ahmad Gumi is playing his part to tame the menace of insecurity in the country and would not be stopped by the military.
Mr Irabor, speaking at a ministerial briefing organised by the presidential communications team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, says that while Mr Gumi does not work for the military, the military will not prevent anyone from contributing to the country’s security.
Mr Gumi, a self-appointed mediator between bandits and the government, has been at the forefront of articulating the position of bandits wreaking havoc across the North.
The influential Islamic cleric recently stated that one-third of Nigeria’s budget for battling insecurity should be spent on bandits through techniques other than fighting, such as enlightenment and listening to their problems.
During a recent speaking engagement at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Mr Gumi stated that the humane side of bandits could be optimised by by showing them understanding and respect.
He said he has been able to undertake several visits and negotiations with the brigands simply by showing empathy to their yearnings.
The advocacy of Mr Gumi for bandits drew flaks from the presidency weeks past.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman Femi Adesina slammed him as “bandits-lover”.
Many Nigerians have also called for Mr Gumi’s interrogation.
Mr Irabor also announced that the military has received all 12 A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets ordered from the United States.
He said while the military should have had the last six aircraft on September 24, a variety of factors, including weather, delayed delivery until September 28, 2021.
The fighter jets according to the defence chief are expected to strengthen Nigeria’s military operations across the country.
Over 40 bandits have been gunned down in the North West, according to the military authorities.
Brig.-Gen. Benard Onyeuko, Acting Director, Defence Media Operation, who disclosed this, said troops carried out operation in forests within Sokoto and Kaduna States.
He spoke at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, while giving updates on the activities of troops across all theatres of operations between October 1 and October 13.
The senior military officer, who also revealed how several structures which served as bandits’ logistics bases were destroyed, explained that the operations became imperative in order to ensure that impending security threats are forestalled across the country.
According to him, within the two weeks under review, using a force package of NAF platforms, multiple air strikes were executed on bandits’ enclaves in successive passes in different locations.
He said, “In the same vein, several armed bandits were neutralised and their hideouts destroyed during air interdiction missions executed at some other locations. The success of the air interdictions was confirmed by battle damage assessment carried out on these locations.”
Also speaking on the recently launched military exercises running concurrently in the South West, South-South, South East and North Central Zones of the country, Onyeuko said the military high command has resolved to checkmate all forms of security vices as the yuletide season approaches.
Daily Trust reports that the exercises were flagged off by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, October 4, 2021, at three different exercises of the Nigerian Army at Ovie-Emene in Enugu East LGA of Enugu State.
The exercises codenamed GOLDEN DAWN, ENDURING PEACE and STILL WATER are running concurrently precisely in the 2 Division, 6 Division, 81 Division and 82 Division of the Nigerian Army.
The ongoing rampage by armed bandits and Boko Haram insurgents, especially against police stations and military bases across the country, has overwhelmed the Buhari administration, Afenifere said on Wednesday.
The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group cited how Boko Haram terrorists set up camps in villages in Kuje, Abuja, and took over about 500 communities in Niger.
The group in a statement by its spokesperson, Jare Ajayi, recalled that Nasarawa Governor Abdullah Sule once said Boko Haram had taken over parts of his state.
“He even went further to remind the federal government and security agencies that Nasarawa is very close to Aso Rock, the country’s seat of power,” the group said.
Afenifere said aside from Boko Haram setting up camps in Niger and Nasarawa, bandits had overran large cache of lands in Zamfara, Borno, Kaduna, Benue and Yobe.
“Zamfara, Borno, Kaduna, Benue, Yobe have cache of lands where bandits have established themselves from which they unleash terror on the people and government interests.
“In the South West, Ibadan to Ijebu-Ode highway, parts of Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun and Osun States posted cases of armed attacks and abductions almost on a daily basis. The same way it is happening in Edo State among others,” the group said.
According to the group, the frequent killings by unknown gunmen, and the effectiveness of the ‘stay-at-home’ order by IPOB, had consigned the Buhari regime to “feebleness”.
Afenifere said Mr Buhari was “very much aware of the challenges” but lacked the political “will and determination to confront the challenges headlong.”
According to the statement, the Buhari regime’s failure to act decisively on insecurity, “has imperiled the social and economic activities in various parts of the country.”
Afenifere said the incessant incidents of insecurity across the country were portrayals of the Buhari regime’s failure in its primary responsibility of protecting Nigerians.
The group said urgent steps were required to stop terrorists and bandits from gaining ground, and “prevent the country from going into smithereens.”
