•As Lakurawa, bandits, kidnappers go on rampage in N-West
•Village head, others flee Sokoto communities, as bandits, sack villages
•Kogi govt vows to deal with youths aiding and abetting banditry
•No nation grows when citizens live in perpetual fear —Peter Obi
By Kingsley Omonobi, Boluwaji Obahopo, John Alechenu & Musa Ubandawaki
A gang, led by Ado Aliero, a top bandit commander, said to be midwifing a peace dialogue in the North West, has slaughtered a traditional ruler in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, in a shocking escalation of violence in the region.
This is even as a wave of terror has swept through Kebbe and Tambuwal Local Government Areas of Sokoto State, as heavily armed Lakurawa insurgents and kidnappers have, in the last 48 hours, unleashed coordinated attacks that have left entire communities deserted, families displaced, and lives shattered.
Meanhwile, Kogi State government has vowed to treat as terrorist any youth in the state who indulged in aiding and abetting bandits to cause mayhem on innocent citizens.
The presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, in a reaction to abduction of 40 worshippers in Zamfara mosque on Monday, said no nation would grow when its citizens perpetually lived in fear.
Bandits kill village head
On the killing of a traditional ruler in Zamfara, intelligence reports revealed that at about 16.09hrs on Monday, September 15, the gang killed the monarch, who is also the Hakimi of Dogon Dawa, in Keta village, Tsafe Local Government Area of the state.
The same gang is believed to be the bandits who reportedly kidnapped 40 worshippers in a mosque in the state same day.
Sources revealed that the bandits have continued their campaign of terror, killing four farmers in Barikin Daji, and Ruwan Gizo, Zamfara State.
Two Customs officers were also said to have been killed in Fingilla village, Dandi Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
Sources said further that the bandits have continued to terrorise communities across the North West, killing, kidnapping, and maiming civilians, amid highly publicised peace dialogue in Faskari, Katsina State, aimed at ending banditry in the region.
Ambush on Army commander repelled
It was gathered that while the peace deal was taking place, bandits laid an ambush on a convoy of the Commanding Officer of 382 Army Regiment at Ruwan Godiya crossing point along Sheme- Kankara Road in Katsina.
However, the attack was successfully repelled.
On the same day, bandits ambushed NSCDC personnel along Dafa village Yantumaki- Danmusa road, killing one and injuring four other officers.
Similarly, the bandits struck and abducted 12 people at Godai village in Bukuyum, Zamfara State and another four in Tudun Moriki.
In Kebbi State, another armed gang, known as the Lakurawa group, killed two Customs officers at Fingilla village in Dandi Local Government Area.
4 farmers shot dead
Furthermore, four civilians were reportedly shot dead while harvesting crops in Barikin Daji, around Ruwan Gizo in Zamfara State.
Recall that the notorious bandit kingpin, Aliero, had on Sunday expressed optimism that peace would be restored in Katsina and Zamfara states and beyond, following the dialogue in Faskari.
He claimed that previous disruptions of peace initiatives, including the arrest of his son, had led him to resume criminal activities.
Village head, others flee Sokoto communities as Lakurawa, bandits, kidnappers sack villages
In Sokoto, a wave of terror swept through Kebbe and Tambuwal Local Government Areas of Sokoto State as heavily armed Lakurawa bandits and kidnappers unleashed coordinated attacks that have left entire communities deserted, families displaced, and lives shattered in the last 48 hours.
Marauders’ trail of destruction
In a trail of destruction that spanned villages across two districts, the marauders stormed settlements with reckless abandon, sacking homes, looting food stores, and leaving blood stained footprints of grief in their wake.
Among the hardest-hit areas were Fakku, Sha’alwashi, Tulluwa, Bashi Bakin Dutse, and Rafin-Gora in Kuchi District of Kebbe LGA, where residents fled in panic as the attackers unleashed gunfire and set homes ablaze.
The once-thriving agrarian communities now stand in ruins, their people scattered in search of safety.
The situation grew so dire that the village head of Fakku and his family were forced into exile, abandoning their ancestral home to seek refuge in Koko, Kebbi State, joining hundreds of displaced persons who have fled across state boundaries to escape the escalating violence.
12 villages sacked
In Jabo District of Tambuwal LGA, the horror was no less devastating. Villages, including Gesolodi, Hilya, Guraye, Guma, Chakai, Modo, Badariya, Tafki, Balera, Gudumawa, and Rafin Shinkafa were overrun in coordinated raids that left survivors recounting tales of anguish and despair.
Residents say the attacks followed the now-notorious Lakurawa style of banditry, a merciless strategy of killing, looting, kidnapping, and burning, to instill fear and force communities into submission or abandonment.
Hundreds of families have since fled their homes, trekking long distances in search of refuge, some carrying only clothes on their backs, while others arrived at makeshift camps in neighbouring Kebbi State, broken and traumatised.
The humanitarian toll has been immense. Crop lands have been abandoned, livestock rustled, and food supplies depleted, leaving the displaced in dire need of basic necessities. Fear of further attacks has paralysed farming activities, threatening food security in the region.
Survivors narrate ordeal
Community members who managed to escape, narrated heartbreaking ordeals of watching relatives gunned down.
Kogi govt vows to deal with youths aiding and abetting banditry
In a similar development, Kogi State government has vowed to treat as terrorists any youth in the state who indulged in aiding and abetting bandits to cause mayhem on innocent citizens.
The State Security Adviser, Jerry Omadara, gave the warning at the palace of Elegbe of Egbe, Oba Ayodele Irukera, while giving progress report on the effort of the state government in the fight against insecurity in Kogi West.
According to him, intelligence information indicated that some youth in Okun land used motorcycles to convey weapons and food stuff to the bandits in the forest.
He alleged that about seven Okun youth were already in his black book for being on the payrolls of the bandits, assuring that since some of the youth had connection with bandits, government would not hesitate to treat them like bandits.
“Regrettable, the bandits are now operating with the indigenes of Okunland The bandits have got our women selling soft drink, bread and other food items. The women supplied them food items and give them vital information.
“There are people in Yagba West who paid the bandits money so that they don’t kidnapped them. We will exposed such people at the appropriate time because enough is enough.
“Our youth are already involved, they used their motorcycles to supply the bandits with weapons and ammunition in the bush. The women of these bandits brought ammunition from far north and give our youth peanuts to convey the ammunition to their men in the bush of Okun land which they used in terrorising our people.
“Imagine, Okun women becoming girlfriends to bandits. Again our Okun people are becoming too lazy to an extent that, it is the Fulanis that farm okro, pepper, maize for us and this is an aberration.
“I want to emphasise that Kogi State government is not sleeping over the insurgents in Okun land. We have arrested and killed many of their leaders and we will continue to go after bandits who do not allow us to sleep or go to farms.
“We will make our communities safe, make the state safe for our farmers to go to farm. We will continue to follow the bandits until we finish killing all of them, so our people can sleep with their two eyes closed,” he said.
Omadara noted that the state government had invested heavily on agriculture through provision of inputs to farmers, saying time had come for Okun people to take their destiny in their hands, so no body could come from outside to violate Okun rules and begin to cause sleepless night in the land.
“I am appealing to you to leverage on the available potentials abound in agriculture to improve on the standard of living of our people. These are areas I want our youth to dissipate their energy to improve their standard of living,” he added.
No nation grows when citizens live in perpetual fear – Peter Obi
Reacting to the abduction of worshippers in a mosque in Zamfara, the presidential candidate of Labour Party in 2023 elections, Peter Obi, said no nation would grow when its citizens perpetually lived in fear.
Obi, who was reacting to the abduction of 40 worshippers in Zamfara State on Monday, said: ”While news headlines are still celebrating a purported peace deal in Katsina, we were again confronted with another unfortunate reality that 55 of our fellow citizens were abducted in neighbouring Zamfara State. ”This contradiction speaks to a disturbing truth, that insecurity has become a normal everyday occurrence in Nigeria.
”We are now in a situation where abductions, killings and violent attacks occur almost daily. This normalisation of tragedy is dangerous. Behind every number are families torn apart, dreams cut short, and futures stolen.
”A nation cannot grow or prosper when its citizens live in perpetual fear. It is now as though the lives of Nigerians do not matter. What is the value of the life of one Nigerian, when hundreds are kidnapped and killed daily without a national emergency on insecurity?
”If the lives of many are taken for granted, how then can the life of one Nigerian be valued? When a government remains silent in the face of constant bloodshed, it diminishes the dignity of every single citizen.”
”The first duty of leadership is to protect life. Until we place the highest premium on the safety of every Nigerian, we cannot claim to be building a nation.
”We must urgently prioritise the protection of lives and property. Our people deserve a country where peace is not an option but the standard. Nigerians will not accept insecurity as their fate.”
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