Armed bandits on Wednesday reportedly bombed a train travelling between Abuja and Kaduna, inflicting technical damages on the country’s major rail infrastructure.
Former Senator Shehu Sani said a train he rode between Kaduna and Abuja on Thursday morning nearly derailed because of an explosive that damaged a section of the tracks.
Mr Sani, in a telephone exchange with Peoples Gazette over the incident, said the bandits were targeting the trains in order to dispose of passengers of their cash and other valuable possessions. He also said the attackers opened fire on the train driver.
A spokesman for the Nigerian Railway in Abuja did not immediately return a request seeking comments on Thursday morning.
Bandits have repeatedly targeted the railway between the nation’s capital and the key northern city, which has become the preferred route for passengers seeking to avoid the perilous three-hour journey by road.
The deadly gangs have raided military bases and shot down at least one reconnaissance jet of the Nigerian Air Force. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the military paid a ransom to the bandits to prevent President Muhammadu Buhari’s plane from being shot down.
The president has repeatedly vowed to be ruthless against the attackers largely responsible for widespread abduction and plunder of communities across Nigeria’s northwestern region.
But security agencies are warning that the gangs are becoming more armed with sophisticated combat equipment that would make it more difficult to defeat them.
Terror bandits operating between Sokoto and Zamfara states have taken responsibility for the attack on Goronyo Market in Sokoto State, where 49 villagers were killed on Sunday, describing it as a reprisal.
One of the kingpins, who is close to both Kachallah Turji and Halilu Sububu – the two notorious warlords in the area – Shehu Rekeb, said the attack was carried out to avenge killings of “innocent Fulani” in the area.
Daily Trust had on Tuesday reported that the attack was a joint one with the attackers storming the market on over 100 motorcycles.
They surrounded the place and opened fire on buyers and sellers that led to the death of 49 people.
“We heard those who attacked Goronyo being described as criminals. They were not.”
“The president (Muhammadu Buhari) came out to say so. Those people (of Goronyo) have killed so many people, so they would have to be attacked and killed,” he said.
Citing the killing of some Fulani Muslim worshippers at Unguwar Lalle, Rekeb said, “When those people (Fulani) were killed, the president did not say anything but he is now coming out to react to this one.”
A resident had on Monday told Daily Trust that, “The recent attack could be a misplaced reprisal by ‘Yan Sakai’ because of the recent killing of 11 herders at Mamande Market in Gwadabawa Local Government Area.
“This outlawed group is arresting and killing Fulani men unjustifiably,” he said.
The State Security Service (SSS) has blocked all access to the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to prevent lawyers and journalists from attending the trial of separatist and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.
Other litigants who have court hearings scheduled for today are also not being allowed entry into the court by the SSS Peoples Gazette gathered on Thursday morning.
The secret police has denied Mr Kanu access to his lawyers and family since he was abducted and brought back to Nigeria by state operatives in Nairobi, Kenya, with many people questioning the legality of the manner in which he was rearrested.
Mr Kanu was initially charged for terrorism, however, in an amended charge sheet, the SSS said he was now being arraigned for calling President Muhammadu Buhari an idiot, a terrorist, and “embodiment of evil.”
Spokesman to the SSS, Peter Afunnaya did not respond to calls and messages from The Gazette seeking comments on the blockage of the courts.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, has urged the Federal Government to declare bandits as terrorists so as to allow the Nigerian military deal with them without any major consequences in international law.
The governor spoke at the presentation of the Kaduna State Security Incidents Report for the Third Quarter of 2021 in Kaduna on Wednesday, saying “we in the Kaduna State Government, have always aligned with the declaration of bandits as insurgents and terrorists. We have written letters to the Federal Government since 2017, asking for this declaration because it is the declaration that will allow the Nigerian military to attack and kill these bandits without any major consequences in international law.”
” So, we support the resolution by the National Assembly and we are going to follow up with a letter of support, for the Federal Government to declare these bandits and insurgents as terrorists, so that they will be fair game for our military. This is the view of the Kaduna State Government,” he said.
The Governor also called for a consensus between the Federal Government and the the 36 states on an emergency programme of recruitment into the security agencies.
He said government can change the game significantly by hiring 1,000 willing youths from each of the 774 LGAs in the country into the security agencies.
“This will be a surge in numbers that is unprecedented since the civil war. An influx of 774,000 new boots on the ground will be a significant blow against criminals and an employment boost,” he said.
He announced that next Saturday, the two Local Governments of Birnin Gwari and Zangon Kataf were elections were postponed for security reasons ,will be having their own Local Government elections.
He however warned that if elections do not take place as scheduled on that date,they will have no option than to appoint Administrators to manage these Local Governments for the next three years.
He said “our Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs has just presented its report on security incidents in Kaduna State within the third quarter of 2021. It is a sobering report, reflecting the real agony of our citizens and communities, their pains and losses, and the fears and anxiety that have created considerable distress. The report puts the statistics in context, analyses the pattern of violence and outlines what the Kaduna State Government and the security agencies are doing to contain the situation and relieve the situation in our communities.”
“These figures indicate the continuing severity of the security situation. In our view, this compels an obligation to transparency on the part of the managers of security. It acknowledges the pain of our people, reflects precise figures on the nature and pattern of security incidents and provides the public factual information on this unprecedented challenge.”
“Previous annual and quarterly security reports have placed the Kaduna Central Senatorial District as the most impacted by these incidents. That was the consistent pattern in the Security Incidents Reports for 2020, the first quarter of 2021 and the second quarter of 2021.”
“However, the report for the third quarter of 2021 indicates that the Kaduna South Senatorial District had the highest casualties in the period. This reflects the toxic mix of banditry and the continuing violent clashes between communities in Zangon-Kataf, Kaura and Kauru LGAs. The locus of these violent incidents is Zangon-Kataf LGA where the peace process, championed so impressively since last year by His Highness the Agwatyap, is being imperilled by sundry acts of lawlessness. I call on all the communities in Zangon Kataf LGA to recommit to peace, to work together to promote harmony, uphold the rule of law and unite to against the criminals that threaten all of them.”
“While receiving the second quarter report in July 2021, I had noted that “it is a matter of profound regret for me that our considerable investments in security are yet to manifest in the defeat or at least the considerable degradation of the criminals that menace our people. We have consistently supported the federal security agencies deployed to our state with logistics and equipment. Apart from these recurrent expenses, the Kaduna State Government has undertaken capital expenditure to provide facilities that can multiply the capacity of security agencies to deter crime and conduct effective investigations of those that do occur. We created the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs to provide a specialised institution to coordinate these investments and our liaison with the federal security agencies”.
He expressed with delight that since he made those comments, the military and other security agencies have commenced operations against the bandits.
“These operations, which began in the third quarter, are degrading bandits but they are not yet simultaneous across all the affected states in the North-West region. This reflects the limitations that personnel and other resource deficits have imposed on the federal security agencies. There are simply not enough boots on the ground to have credible deployments in most places to protect communities, deter crime and enforce law and order,” he said.
He said many state governments in the North-West and the North-Central have adopted an unconventional approach to help the federal security agencies to better protect our communities, adding that there is no alternative to launching simultaneous operations.
” I will also like to announce that this Saturday, the two Local Governments of Birnin Gwari and Zangon Kataf will be having their own Local Government elections. They were postponed for security reasons, but I believe that the security agencies and the State Independent Electoral Commission have agreed that it is possible to hold this election this weekend. Our hope is that we will be able to conduct this election as well as bye elections in two or three Local Governments, so that we swear in the new Local Government Chairmen, to start their tenure from the 1st of November 2021.”
“I would like to observe that if elections do not take place as scheduled on this date, we will have no option than to appoint Administrators to manage these Local Governments for the next three years. So it is in the interest of everybody to allow elections to take place, otherwise I will appoint people to manage those local governments.”
“I will also want to comment on those that are affected by insecurity. We have a Riot Damage and Compensation Fund for those who are affected from 2016. I am therefore directing the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs to draw from the Riot Damage Fund, to pay all those affected, up to, and including this year.”
“I would also like to inform the security agencies as well as the traditional leaders here, that we are in the process of establishing a Farmers/Herdsmen Reconciliation Council at the State level as well as similar Committees at the Local Government and Chiefdom and Emirate levels. This is backed by a law, a military edict, enacted in the 1990s. But somehow, we didn’t come across the law until recently. So, we are activating these Committees to help in managing clashes between farmers and herdsmen at all levels.”
” Let me conclude by expressing our deepest gratitude once again to our traditional leaders. You are playing a very important role not only in the provision of useful intelligence in your communities, but in also in engaging in reconciliation. You are also engaged in peace-building in collaboration with our state Peace Commission. We urge you to continue and I particularly urge the Agwatyap not to be discouraged by what is happening, to continue to work towards peace. In the end, there is no alternative to peace building. As leaders, we cannot but to continue to preach peace.”
“I want to express our gratitude to our security agencies for the sacrifice that they are making. I urge them not to be discouraged by comments by those who are uninformed, who think that nothing is being done. My colleagues, the politicians, are the most guilty; just because they want people to clap for them, they will say that nothing is being done. If nothing is being done, you will not be able to sleep. Many of these incidences are being prevented and when they are, you will not hear about it. You don’t hear commendation but when something happens, you hear all the condemnation. As someone who receives the security reports on a daily basis, I know that a lot is being done by the security agencies. I wish to commend you and may God bless you. We are happy with the results of the military campaigns, and it is clear that kidnapping has gone down, but we want more than that. We want to have zero-kidnappings, zero killings,” he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has expressed concern that the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), which he blamed for the July 15, 2016, failed coup attempt against his government, is still active in Nigeria.
Erdogan spoke Wednesday at a joint press conference with President Muhammadu Buhari on the occasion of his official visit to Nigeria.
In the speech delivered in his native Turkish and interpreted by one of the officials on his entourage, Erdogan asked Nigeria to join his country to forge a solidarity in the fight against terrorism in the two countries as one of the oldest allies of Turkey in Africa, having seen 60 years of diplomatic ties.
He said: “Distinguished members of the press, as Turkey, we have been closely monitoring the developments unfolding in Nigeria, our brotherly and friendly nation.
“The terrorist organisations, the armed gangs and the marine bandits are continuously active in Nigeria and the Nigerian authorities are continuously fighting against them. So, in order to cooperate further in the fields of military, defense, and security, we are doing everything that will be available….
“As we’re probably aware of the fact that Turkey has been fighting against terrorist organisations for many decades, such as the PKK, PYD, FETO, DASH and other terrorist organisations.
“The perpetrator of the heinous failed coup of July the 15th, FETO, is still illegally active in Nigeria, and we are continuously sharing our intelligence with the Nigerian interlocutors and authorities. I hope and pray that our Nigerian brothers will forge a closer solidarity in this field with us, the Republic of Turkey. I hope and pray that our visit will yield the most auspicious results and I would like to thank my distinguished brother, President Buhari, for being such a gracious host for me and for my delegation”, he said.
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, on Wednesday, said 343 people were killed, while 830 people were kidnapped between July and September 2021, in the state.
Speaking during the presentation of the third quarterly security report of the Kaduna State Government at the Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Aruwan said within the period under review, 193 deaths were recorded in the Southern Kaduna senatorial district. This, he said, was caused by violent attacks and reprisals, adding that130 deaths were recorded in Kaduna Central Senatorial District, 20 deaths in the Northern Senatorial District.
He further said 830 people were kidnapped within the period under review, adding, out of the number of those kidnapped, 732 were kidnapped from Kaduna Central, while 51 persons were kidnapped in Southern Kaduna Senatorial District and 47 persons were kidnapped in the Northern Senatorial District.
He said 210 people were injured by banditry, violent attacks, reprisals and communal clashes, adding, 122 people were injured in Kaduna Central Senatorial District. Aruwan further added that 67 people sustained injuries in Southern Kaduna, 21 persons were injured in the Northern senatorial district. He said 1,018 animals were rustled in the state in the third quarter; 780 stolen from the Kaduna Central Senatorial District.
According to him, the state government received 77 reports relating to the destruction of farm crops notably in Birnin Gwari, Igabi, Giwa, Kachia, Kaura, Kauru and Zangon Kataf, adding such destruction usually resulted in violence in the front line local government arrears. He said that banditry and kidnapping are striving due to the flow of money which encourages them in the business. The commissioner lamented the current insecurity challenge is a major threat to the looming food crisis, education and health.
“Primary, secondary and tertiary institutions remain under threat from bandits. Teaching and learning activities in frontline areas have been severely hampered. While hospitals and other health facilities in frontline locations are equally under grave threat from armed bandits,” he further said.
No fewer than 150 people were killed in bandits attack on Goronyo township in Sokoto State after Nigerian soldiers abandoned their equipment and fled the area, Peoples Gazette has learnt.
Last Sunday, the bandits stormed the town in Goronyo Local Government Area of the state on over 100 motorcycles and opened fire on residents in the attack that lasted for hours.
“The number of people that died in Goronyo; I did say it was above 30. I was not categorical about the figure,” he was quoted in a statement by his media adviser, Muhammad Bello.
“We just finished a meeting with some stakeholders and I have confirmed that we lost 43 people, unfortunately to that incident. May God Almighty have mercy on their souls,” Governor Aminu Tambuwal later said.
However, sources told The Gazette that the assailants killed over 150 persons after soldiers who were on Shinaka-Sokoto Road abandoned their trucks and fled the area.
“The bandits came in on motorcycles that were more than 100. The soldiers who were on Shinaka-Sokoto Road abandoned their trucks and equipment and fled.
“This gave the bandits free passage and they spent many hours killing and looting people,” Adamu Ibrahim, a resident of the town, told The Gazette on Wednesday morning.
Mr Ibrahim said the attack lasted hours following the disappearance of security personnel, and with no help of rescue due to telecommunications services shut down in the area.
“There was no communication or security so the bandits had many hours to carry out their evil killing and they also carried people’s properties with them when they left,” he said,
“We counted more than 150 bodies because they were arranged in rows and some rows had 10 bodies while some had 15 or 25 bodies. We counted more than 150 bodies,” he added.
“Some of us who escaped the killings came to Sokoto to complain that there were more than 150 people who lost their lives but the government was giving different statements saying 30 or 40 people were killed. They later said 43 but still very far from the people killed.”
Another resident, Muhammad Makintami also told The Gazette more than 150 people were killed.
“We met witnesses who ran to Sokoto from the affected local government and they gave a clear account of dead bodies,” Mr Makintami said, adding that “They were in their hundreds and at least 150.”
When contacted for comments on the incident, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu denied the casualty figure, saying, “I wonder from what source this false information is emanating.”
He added, “The COAS has visited troops in their locations and deployments, where he addressed the troops and made assessments of ongoing anti-banditry operations. Please discountenance this rumour.”
The attack came days after some youths in Goronyo town took to the streets to protest against insecurity, which has forced many to flee the town.
In September, the state government shut down telecommunications services across Gada, Goronyo, Gudu, Ilela, Isa, Kebbe, Sabon Birn, among other local government areas to curtail increasing levels of insecurity across the state.
At least 50 bandits have been killed in Kaduna state on Tuesday.
This was revealed by the Kaduna State Government.
The government said the bandits were killed in Birnin Gwari, through the combined efforts of ground troops and air raids.
Mr. Samuel Aruwan Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna State confirmed this, in a statement.
“In an inspiring success for the security forces, over 50 bandits have been neutralized during a combined ground and air assault in the Saulawa-Farin Ruwa axis of Birnin Gwari LGA.”
The statement said the operational feedback to the Kaduna State Government from the Command of the Joint Operations, a Nigerian Air Force helicopter gunship provided close air support to ground troops advancing from the Dogon Dawa-Damari-Saulawa axis.
It said following extensive scans, bandits were spotted on five motorcycles, about 4km east of Saulawa, waiting to ambush the ground forces. They were engaged vigorously by the helicopter gunship, and were wiped out.
“After this, armed bandits on about 50 motorcycles were sighted fleeing towards Farin Ruwa, and were struck effectively by the gunship. Fleeing remnants were mopped up by ground forces,” it said
He added that a second helicopter gunship joined the operations, and many more fleeing bandits were neutralized by precise strikes, adding that, an assessment, revealed that more than 50 bandits were neutralized during the joint operation.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai expressed his satisfaction at the operational feedback, and congratulated the ground troops and gunship crews on the rout.
He urged them to sustain the momentum and bring even more bandits to their bitter end.
Troops of the Joint Task Force, North East Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), have killed Boko Haram/Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists, says the Nigerian Army.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said this in a statement on Monday in Ábuja.
Mr Nwachukwu said the troops deployed alongside the Cameroonian Defence Force had on Monday killed four terrorists at the Forward Operating Base (FOB), Wulgo in Borno.
He added the “vigilant troops successfully” foiled attempted infiltration of the terrorists into the camp while “on patrol to dominate their area of responsibility.”
According to him, the troops “swiftly responded with overwhelming fire and spontaneous” reinforcement from the battalion headquarters, forcing the terrorists to retreat.
“Troops immediately carried out a hot pursuit and exploitation after the encounter, along the terrorists’ route of withdrawal and neutralised three terrorists. The gallant troops also recovered three AK 47 rifles, six magazines and 50 rounds of 7.62mm special,” he said.
Mr Nwachukwu also stated that four other terrorists were killed the same day, around the 151 Battalion location, noting that they were burnt beyond recognition, “as their gun truck mounted with anti-aircraft guns ran over an improvised explosive device (IED).”
He also mentioned that the troops were currently conducting further exploitation to “clear any surviving terrorists.”
“The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has commended the efforts of the troops. He charged them to remain aggressive and focused, as they dominate their areas of operational responsibility to ensure complete extermination of the terrorists and restoration of normalcy,” the army statement added.
The Nigerian Air Force coordinated ransom payments to armed bandits in exchange for an anti-aircraft gun seized from the Nigerian Army, The Wall Street Journal said, in a desperate deal that was brokered as President Muhammadu Buhari was planning a trip to Katsina.
The U.S. outlet said N20 million was delivered to the bandits in Rugu Forest by a Nigerian Air Force official, who leaked details of the operation under anonymity, because the military realised that it would be too risky to leave the weapon in the hands of violent criminals operating in an area the presidential jet would fly over.
The rugged, lawless jungle that covers parts of Kaduna, Zamfara and the president’s home state of Katsina has served as a vast haven for bandits terrorising Nigeria’s northwestern communities. A large portion of kidnapping plots emanates or terminates in or around the forest, security agencies have previously warned.
“The mission to buy back the antiaircraft gun began with a handoff from a high-ranking air force intelligence officer in the capital Abuja: a black zip-up bag he said was full of 20 million Nigerian naira,” the paper reported, after stating that such military hardware in the hands of bandits “posed a threat to President Muhammadu Buhari, who had been planning to fly to his hometown about 80 miles away.”
The gun truck with 12.7 caliber anti-aircraft fire was reportedly disassembled and transported back to the military on motorbikes after the deal was concluded.
The Journal did not specify when the deal was brokered or the presidential trip that was planned. The president has been in his hometown at least twice this year that his office disclosed to the public. The first trip was in late January and another in July.
Although the Nigerian government claimed combat victories against armed bandits, several military bases have been sacked by the violent criminals dreaded largely for their abduction of schoolchildren and prominent personalities, including politicians and emirs.
Last month, a forward operating base crucial to the military campaign against banditry was raided in Zamfara, leaving at least 12 officers killed. The bandits also seized military equipment when they captured the base in Dansadau, about 80 kilometres south of the capital Gusau, in the September 11 operation.
It was not immediately clear why service chiefs opted for ransom payment in the operation described by The Journal. Military weapons that fell into the hands of Boko Haram insurgents and bandits were usually destroyed by air strikes.
The Gazette has yet to hear back from the Nigerian Air Force about the reported N20 million ransom to bandits.
