As FG Takes War to Bandits in North-west

 IN THE ARENA

With the directive by President Bola Tinubu to the Minister of State for Defence and military chiefs to relocate to Sokoto State to rid the North-west of bandits, it is expected that they will have no excuse not to end the activities of the notorious bandits’ leader, Bello Turji, and his gang, which has brought embarrassment to the Nigerian security forces and the country at large, Davidson Iriekpen writes

The recent directive by President Bola Tinubu for the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle; Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa and other military chiefs to move to Sokoto State and rid the North-west of the menace of banditry, kidnapping and terrorism was perhaps the boldest decision by Tinubu’s administration to tackle insecurity in the country.

According to a statement issued by his ministry, Matawalle was quoted as saying that the directive was a demonstration of the government’s determination to tackle the growing insecurity in the North-west and restore peace and security to the affected areas. He reiterated President Tinubu’s strong commitment to eradicate terrorism and banditry in the region.

Before the president’s directive, Matawalle had expressed his sadness over the activities of terrorists and bandits in Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, and Kebbi states and its environs. He said while in the North-west, himself and the military chiefs would supervise operations and ensure that Turji and his bandits were flushed out. He assured the people of the region of the security forces’ determination not to spare any effort in their resolve to eliminate the bandits.

For over a decade now, terrorism, banditry and kidnappings have plagued Nigeria. Terrorist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) frequently carry out deadly attacks, especially in the North-east.

Bandits have also been raiding villages, stealing livestock, and kidnapping people for ransom. Herdsmen have been killing farmers and destroying their crops. This has exacerbated poverty and hunger across the country.

With homes, markets, farms and highways unsafe, many Nigerians are increasingly changing their daily routines, avoiding long distance journeys and social gatherings to stay safe. 

Businesses have also suffered, while schools in some areas have been closed due to their invasion by bandits who kidnapped teachers and students, some of whom lost their lives in kidnappers’ den.

In all these years, the government has failed to design security strategies to bring an end to insecurity, fuelling speculations that billions of naira of defence budgets end up in private pockets.

Many Nigerians have lost trust in the government’s ability to protect them and have opted for self-help and other more effective solutions to defend themselves and restore peace and security in the country.

For instance, despite former President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise before his election in 2015 to address the security challenges in the country, right under his watch, the problem spread across all the six zones in the country.

Since Buhari’s successor, President Tinubu reconstituted and reconfigured the nation’s military architecture – a move widely seen as a sign of his seriousness in combating these agents of darkness – the progress recorded has been minimal.

As a sign of the government’s failure to address the menace, some residents of the affected Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, and Zamfara states had taken their destiny in their own hands by mobilising against bandits and resorting to self-help.

For instance, while the residents of Matusgi in Talata Mafara, Zamfara State had overpowered and killed about 37 bandits, thousands of residents of Gobir in Sokoto State had also stormed the forest in large numbers to rescue about 150 kidnapped compatriots and also recovered the remains of the district head of Gobir, Isa Mohammad Bawa, who was abducted and killed by bandits.

It’s against this background that President Tinubu ordered the minister and senior military chiefs to relocate to Sokoto to assess the situation and “flush out bandits” from the entire region.

“We are here as directed by Mr. President, who called us from China and gave us a marching order that we should relocate to Sokoto to review our operation here and to ensure the people of this region sleep with their two eyes closed. The president is worried about what is happening in the North-west region. So, he called me and the Chief of Defence Staff and directed us to leave whatever we were doing in Abuja and come to Sokoto and supervise the operation of our troops,” Matawalle said.

“Nigeria is not a banana country. It’s a country governed by a constitution under a democratically-elected president who wants to leave a good legacy. The president carefully selected northerners and appointed them to key positions. Look at me: I am from Zamfara State, and the Chief of Defence Staff is from Kaduna State. The Minister of Defence, Badaru, is from Jigawa State; the National Security Adviser is from Adamawa State while the Minister of State for Police Affairs is also from the north. So, he carefully selected us because he knows our problem is insecurity. So, we are here to flush out those bandits that have been terrorising our region,” he said.

President Tinubu’s directive sparked widespread jubilation among residents in the North-west. A cross-section of them expressed their appreciation to the federal government for the move, noting that it demonstrates its commitment and readiness to find a lasting solution to the menace.

Some recalled how a former Inspector General of Police refused to obey former President Buhari’s directive to move to Benue State when bandits were killing people in the state.

For instance, a trader, Malam Garba Mailambu, said President Tinubu’s directive reflects the federal government’s intensified efforts to rid the North-west of banditry, kidnapping and terrorism. He added that such a directive was expected during the last regime, emphasising that the deployment of necessary military assets and manpower would ensure that criminal elements are flushed out and peace restored to the communities. 

A senior lecturer t the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, Dr. Habibu Ahmed Mada, described the order given by Matawalle as a relief.

Another resident, Mr. Shehu Haruna, commended the federal government’s efforts and advised Matawalle as an indigene of the North-west, to intensify supervision operations and ensure that Bello Turji and his gang are flushed out. He added that there is an urgent need to move against the terrorists to enable people to return to their farms and move freely. He stressed that the federal government’s directive shows deep concern about the persistent threat posed by banditry and terrorism in the North-west states.

Though no time was stated on how long Matawalle and the security chiefs would stay in the North-west, it is hoped that they will not only achieve huge success, but also replicate such intervention in other states like Plateau, Benue and Taraba, where massive killings have been taking place in the last 10 years.