Follow Us on Google
•Takes over Kainji National Park, mines gold, timber
From John Adams, Minna
•Kanji National Park
It is no longer news that Niger State is one of the worst hit by the activities of bandits and insurgents in the country, with heavy loss of life and property. No day passes without an attack in one community or the other.
Despite several efforts by successive administrations in the state towards curtailing the activities of the rampaging gunmen, the situation seems to be getting worse as these enemies of the people continue to extend their activities across the state, launching deadly attacks on communities and villages.
•Hon. Sulayman
The people have lost count of the number of their loved ones killed by the gunmen, while they have sold everything they laboured for over the years to pay ransom to secure the release of family members.
The insurgents have continued to tighten their grip on villages and communities. The latest is the occupation of the once famous, third largest park, the Kainji National Park, in New Bussa in Borgu LGA of the state, by members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) and bandits.
The ISWAP members did not only take over and settle in the national park with their wives and children, they have engaged in some lucrative economic activities in the park such as full-scale mining and timber business, with Benin Republic as their market.
While the ISWAP members engage in mining and timber, the bandits are busy with kidnapping of villagers and travellers along the Lunma-Banna Road for ransom, making life miserable for communities in the area.
What the villagers said started like mere kidnapping eight years ago has turned into a full occupation by the groups, who have successfully dislodged the staff of the Kainji National Park.
A resident of Dekara, one of the communities under the rulership of the ISWAP group, who did not want his name in print for fear of being picked up by the insurgents, told our correspondent that the bandits and ISWAP have divided the Kainji Park into two, adding that the ISWAP controls the larger part of the forest.
Apart from mining and felling of trees, which the people said are in large scale, the ISWAP group, it was gathered, is in firm control of the communities in the area, especially Dekara and Gbenji communities, and has established its authority over the helpless people, mediating and settling disputes among the villagers.
“They (ISWAP group) resolve disputes among the people. The district heads take directives from them and anybody who dares to report their activities in the area to the outside world is always met with severe consequences. No security agent dares come to this area.
“Apart from mediating and settling disputes among the people, sometimes, the ISWAP group helps the communities to rescue their people from the hands of the bandits if such kidnap incident is reported to them. Such rescue operations have resulted in heavy casualties from both sides in recent time,” our source said.
It was gathered that the people of the two communities and surrounding villages have also decided to submit themselves to the authority of the insurgents, since their activities in the area have continued unchallenged by the government for over eight years now.
Our source disclosed further that the ISWAP group decides who becomes the district head of Dekara and Gbenji communities, stressing: “This is the reality that we are faced with in Borgu local government at the moment.”
In 2021, gunmen suspected to be the ISWAP launched an attack on the palace of the district head of Wawa in Borgu LGA and kidnapped the district head, the Dodo of Wawa, Alhaji Dr. Mahmoud Ahmed Aliyu, who our source said was accused by the group of meddling in their activities.
According to a source close to the palace, he was severely tortured by the group before he was released after five days in captivity, with strict warning to stay clear of their activities in the area. Reports, however, said that N10 million was paid as ransom before his eventual release.
Chairman of Borgu LGA, Hon. Yerima Sulayman, who spoke to our correspondent on the security situation in the area, confirmed the existence of the groups in the Kainji National Park. He said the insurgents have formed a parallel government in the area, as they are fully in control of parts of the council.
He also confirmed that the insurgents did not only have firm control of the Kainji National Park, they now engage in illegal mining activities and felling of trees for sale, with Benin Republic as their market.
He told our correspondent in an exclusive interview that the communities around the national park, especially Dekara and Gbeji, have submitted themselves to the authority of the ISWAP group since they (ISWAP) have proved to be untouchable.
He pointed out that the situation was of great concern to the local government, especially when no effort is being made to flush out the insurgents from the park: “They have been there for over seven years now, with their wives and children, even before my assumption of office. They are into mining and timber business with nobody challenging them.”
He disclosed that, since his assumption of office as the chairman of the council, almost two years ago, he has made several complaints and written a number of security reports on the activities of the groups but no concrete step has been taken against them.
“Even at the state security meetings, I have made several complaints and drawn the attention of the state security council to the existence and the activities of the groups in my council, but the story is still the same. They are in control of the Kainji National Park.
“The ISWAP group is running a parallel government with me in my council because the communities under its control have submitted themselves to the group and they even take directives from them. They do that because that is the only way they can live in peace with the group.”
He pointed out that though Borgu LGA plays host to two military formations, the 99 Air Weapon School, Nigerian Air Force Base, New Bussa, and the 221 Battalion, Wawa Military Cantonment, their impact is not felt by the council because they are under the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Oyo State, and take directives from the General Officer Commanding (GOC) there.
“They are answerable to the GOC, 82 Division, Ibadan, and take orders from the division. They don’t attend security meetings in Niger State and, therefore, cannot be involved in internal security in the state and, by extension, the local government. That is one of our major challenges in tackling the activities of the ISWAP and the bandits.”
He disclosed that after the boundary adjustment, which ceded Borgu LGA to Niger State from Kwara State, the military formations were still under Kwara State, which falls under the 82 Division, Ibadan.
The LG chairman explained that Niger State was under the 1 Mechanized Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, and, ordinarily, it should be the one to come to the rescue of the local government area but nothing has been done to assist the council despite several security reports to the state security council.
He insisted that the activities of the groups amount to a siege on the local government, adding: “The activities of the insurgents have changed the lifestyles of the people. People live in fear and apprehension and there is no end in sight.”
All attempts to get the reaction of the Niger State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Gen. Garba Abdullahi Mohammed (retd.), on this development did not yield any result as he declined to speak to our correspondent on phone after several visits to his office.
