Unmasking Bandits’ Informants in the North

A recent revelation by the Vice Chancellor of Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State, Prof Armaya’u Bichi, that the management of the school had identified members of staff involved in giving out their colleagues and students’ information to bandits should serve as a wake-up call for security agents to beam their searchlight on bandits’ informants to nip potential attacks and abductions in the bud, Ejiofor Alike reports

In a shocking revelation, the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University Dutsinma (FUDMA), Katsina State, Prof. Armaya’u Bichi, last Tuesday alleged that some of the university’s staff were serving as informants to bandits.

Bichi also revealed to journalists that the school authorities had given the contacts of the suspected staffers to one of the security agencies for further investigation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had reported that suspected bandits have been kidnapping students and staffers of the university as well as their family members.

Less than two weeks ago, bandits stormed the residence of the Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension, and Rural Development of FUDMA, Dr. Tiri Gyan David, killing him and abducting his children.

The attack had prompted his colleagues to stage a peaceful protest over insecurity.

According to the vice-chancellor, the situation was getting worse.

Bichi reportedly said: “This issue of informants is worrisome; therefore, we investigated those we are suspecting of giving out their colleagues and students’ information.

“We have found them and handed over their contacts to one of the security agencies for further investigation. But we have not heard anything from the securities.

“These suspects are our staff. We have strong reasons for accusing them of being informants to bandits,” Bichi added.

University lecturers in the North have increasingly become the targets of bandits in recent months, fuelling the need for security agencies to beam their searchlight on schools to track their informants.

In June 2024, bandits had abducted another lecturer at the Department of Economics, FUDMA, Prof. Richard Kyaram, his son, and another staff of the university’s registry, Dr. Hamza. The incident reportedly happened in GRA Dustin Ma at around 1: a.m.

The latest killing of a FUDMA lecturer came less than two weeks after bandits attacked and killed a lecturer at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS), Prof. Yusuf Sa’idu.

A lecturer with the Federal College of Education (FCE) Yola, Adamawa State, Joram Bengo, was on September 25, 2022, kidnapped after he delivered a ransom of N2 million to secure the release of the village head of Bengo in the Fufore Local Government Area of the state, Sallau Manu.

In a raid that appeared to have been facilitated by insiders, bandits had in May 2024, invaded the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Okene in Kogi State and abducted some students.

They had swooped on the campus at around 8.30 pm on Thursday, May 9 shooting repeatedly into the air and in the process, whisked away an unspecified number of students preparing for their first-semester examination scheduled to start on May 12.

While the Kogi State Police Commissioner, Bernand Onuoha confirmed the killing of two of the students on Sunday, May 26, the remaining students were rescued unharmed.

Earlier in January, bandits kidnapped a senior lecturer of the Department of Islamic Studies, Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, Mallam Bello Janbako.

Janbako, who is also the Director, Centre for Research at FUGUS, was kidnapped from his house in Damba, Gusau around 1.30 am.

His abduction came only months after 24 students of the university were abducted by bandits in September 2023.

Though the Katsina State Police Command’s spokesman, ASP Abubakar Sadiq-Aliyu, denied knowledge of the FUDMA vice chancellor’s claims that university staff were informants, the targeted attacks and abductions of university lecturers, judges, journalists and other high-profile persons by bandits have raised concerns about the role of informants who give out information about the victims to the bandits.

Bichi’s revelation is an indication that lecturers and students who want to settle scores with their colleagues or have them out of the way give out their information to bandits.

Journalists, doctors, lawyers and judges may have also become the victims of these informants.

Only last week, two Kaduna-based journalists, Abdulgafar Alabelewe and AbdulRaheem Aodu, were abducted alongside their families by bandits, who invaded the community around 10:30 p.m. last week.

Alabelewe of The Nation newspapers and Aodu of Blueprint newspapers were kidnapped from their homes in Dahjonu Community, Millennium City area of the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

It was reported that Abdulraheem’s wife was abandoned in the bush by the bandits because of her health condition.

A judge of the Upper Customary Court, Sabon Tasha Division in Kaduna State, Janet Galadima, along with her four children were also kidnapped by bandits early this month.

The judge and her four children were kidnapped from their residence in the Mahuta area of Chikun LGA, in the outskirts of Kaduna metropolis on June 24, 2024.

The bandits later killed the woman’s 14-year-old eldest son, Victor Galadima.

His corpse was found by police operatives from the Sabon Tasha Division at Ungwan Bayero of Dutse village, near the toll gate, along the Kaduna- Abuja Highway on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.

However, the bandits released the judge a few days after her first son was killed, leaving behind her three children in captivity.

The three children were released after 15 days in captivity, while it was not certain if the N300 million demanded as ransom by the bandits was paid.

There is no doubt that many cases of abductions involving high-profile individuals were based on giving out information on the victims by informants.

Security agencies are not unaware of the role of informants in cases of abductions and attacks by bandits.

Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command had in June 2023 arrested a wanted logistic supplier and informant to a kidnapping and banditry group terrorising the FCT and its environs.

The suspect, one Mohammed Hamza a.k.a Auta, 25 years old, was arrested by the Anti-kidnapping Unit of the command at the Mongoro Forest.

In August 2023, two suspected notorious bandit informants were tracked down and arrested by the operatives of the Katsina State Police Command in Kaduna State.

The suspects, both male, simply identified as Mohammed Bello alias Dan Ali, of Sabon Gari, Ikara LGA of Kaduna State, and Abubakar Mohammed of Kumbotso LGA of Kano State, were arrested on July 12, 2023 based on credible intelligence.

Parading the suspects, the spokesman for the command, ASP Abubakar Sadiq, explained that the duo criminally conspired, deceived, and lured their friend, one Salmanu, to a point between Funtua and Zamfara State where they allegedly planned with one Gora, a notorious bandits’ leader hibernating in Zamfara forest, and kidnapped the victim.

With the obvious culpability of informants in cases of abductions, security agents should beam their searchlight, not only on bandits but also on those that provide them with useful information about their victims.