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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
•Traditional rulers from affected local government areas during a security meeting at Kaduna Government House
There is anger and apprehension in communities in Kaduna State, as over 600 residents have been abducted by terrorists from various local government areas of the state to unknown locations in the last three months.
Saturday Sun gathered that a good number of the abductees are still in captivity at the time of filing this report, while others were either killed or injured during the attacks by the terrorists.
The situation, as monitored by our correspondent, sparked anger in many communities, as the people query the capacity of the government to find lasting solutions to the menace of kidnapping and killings.
In many parts of the state, residents live in fear, as they do not know when terrorist would invade their communities to ferry scores of people to their den in the forests.
A breakdown of the activities of kidnappers from January to March 2024 showed that bandits killed a 53-year-old baker, Mr Tijani Amedu, and abducted his 13 relatives, who are mainly children, travelling alongside him, in the Katari area of Kaduna State on January 6, while the victims were returning to Kaduna after visiting Warri, Delta State.
Also media reports on February 18 indicated that some bandits invaded two communities of Gwada and Kassam in Igabi as well as Kauru Local Government Areas of Kaduna State, killing nine and leaving seven injured, while scores were abducted, including a retired Central Bank of Nigeria’s director.
While Igabi is in the northern part of the state, Kauru is in the Southern Kaduna axis.
The breakdown showed that six persons were killed, five abducted and two injured in Kauru LGA, while three persons were killed, seven injured, and 30 others kidnapped in Igabi LGA of the State on that fateful day.
The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, confirmed the incident, saying at least 50 residents were abducted by the hoodlums.
An official statement by the state government through its Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, also confirmed the incident, but he was silent on those killed and abducted in Igabi and Kauru LGAs of the state.
On February 28, bandits killed two residents of Anguwan Auta in Gonin Gora, Kaduna State and kidnapped 16 others. The kidnappers have since demanded a ransom of N40 trillion, along with 11 Hilux vans and 150 motorcycles, for their release.
Again on March 7,, 287 school children were abducted by bandits from primary and secondary schools in Kuriga town in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The bandits have demanded N1 billion ransom to set their captives free. They also threatened to kill the victims if the ransom was not paid in 20 days. It was reported that on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, the bandits made contact through the principal of the school, Abubakar Isah, who was abducted alongside the students. The bandits contacted Aminu Jubril in Kuriga, a spokesman of the community, at around 2 p.m. on that Tuesday, asking for the ransom.
Between Thursday January 4 and Sunday, January 7, 2024, a total of 85 persons were abducted near Katari on the Kaduna-Abuja highways.
The Kaduna State Police Command confirmed that there was a bandit’s attack on the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway at Dogon Fili near Katari.
Yet again, in the latest attack, 87 persons were reported kidnapped by bandits at Tantatu ward in Kajuru Local Government area of Kaduna State. This is in addition to about 50 persons kidnapped in the same local government barely a week before the fresh attack.
This was coming at a time when the federal and the state governments were making efforts to secure the release of 287 persons kidnapped in Kuriga town and other areas in the State.
The State governor, Uba Sani has reassured the affected parents that the children will soon return home safely.
Governor Sani who disclosed this on Wednesday during his open remarks to commence a meeting with stakeholders, traditional rulers and chairmen of the seven local government areas that were attacked by terrorists recently, said relevant security agencies as well as President Bola Tinubu were on top of the situation to ensure safe return of the abductees.
The affected local government areas include Kajuru, Birnin Gwari, Kachia, Kagarko, Igabi, Chikun and Giwa.
The governor had on Thursday, March 7, the day the school children were abducted in Kuriga, assured the parents that the abductees would return unhurt.
However, Governor Sani charged traditional rulers to ensure they report strange movement and incident of attacks by terrorists without delay to enable security operatives move in to save the situation whenever it happens.
“Like I said, we are making a lot of progress and we are also working to ensure that our children return home safely. Only yesterday I had further interactive session with the communities that were affected, particularly Kuriga community. I have no doubt in my mind that the efforts we are making with relevant security agencies and Mr. President have been doing everything possible to ensure that our children return back home safely. I can say it here that Mr. President is determined, I have had series of discussion with him, the NSA, Service Chiefs also. A lot of progress has been made so far. We will not disclose it here, but we are on top of the matter and by the grace of God our children will return home safely.
The Senator representing Kaduna Central under the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Lawal Adamu-Usman, in whose constituency the abduction of school children took place, had met with President Bola Tinubu on the abduction of Kuriga students and other security challenges in Kaduna State.
The Senator said the discussions centred on ways to contain the security challenges and offer support for those displaced by the terrorists.
He said that the President had directed him to convene a stakeholders meeting to map out the best options to enhance community policing and decimate the terrorists in the constituency and across the state.
“The President inubu told me that we must find ways to restore security and harmonious coexistence among the people,” he said. On the ransom demanded by bandits for the kidnapped Kuriga students, Adamu-Usman said: “The Federal government has maintained a position that no kobo will be paid as ransom to kidnappers.”
Some clergymen have also become quite angry over the kidnapping incidents in the state, describing government as weak. They wondered who and what could have offended terrorists to warrant them to subject innocent citizens to kidnapping and killings.
Christian leaders in Kaduna State have observed that bandits are taking advantage of the perceived weakness of government to sustain their nefarious acts.
Immediate past chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) Kaduna State, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, lamented the increased wave of abductions by bandits in Kaduna State, praying that God should bring it to an end.
Rev. Hayab who spoke at the thanksgiving service held in his honour, for meritorious service as State CAN Secretary and Chairman, Kaduna State, alleged that bandits and other criminal elements were taking advantage of government’s weakness to torment innocent Nigerians.
He condemned the abduction of school children in Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area where he worked as a pastor 30 years ago.
“I am very sad because I pastored a local church in the community 30 years ago, the rural dwellers were just peasant farmers with majority of their husbands as heavy truck drivers who are invariably affected by bad governance too.
“What are they even negotiating? That we stole their cows or we did what to them? See, if they have grudges they have not written anybody and why are they hurting innocent children? The parents of those children that they kidnapped are also angry, hungry and sick.
“So why are the bandits venting their anger on innocent people? And so what are you negotiating with those people? These people are just criminals who want to steal money by all means and who are by default hiding under cover. So what do you negotiate with them?
“Sheikh Gumi told us that he is going to preach to them. If there is need for us to mobilize people that will go and preach to them we will do that, but not to negotiate with them. Did we steal anything from them, we do not even know why they are angry,” Hayab said.
A former General Secretary, Evangelical Church Winning All, (ECWA) Worldwide Rev. Nmadu Yunusa said that the issue of hardship and insecurity in Nigeria are twin brothers, insisting that those issues in the country were biting hard at the moment.
According to him, “hunger breeds insecurity and the breakdown of law and order in every society. In fact, now that this insecurity has lasted this long, the government should ask herself because they are duty bearers and it’s their responsibility to protect the citizens of this country.
“So in my own opinion, any government that has failed to protect its citizens has failed as government, and for the fact that people are very hungry today is not a good testament to good governance.
“So what is good governance all about when people are just falling on the street like apple because of hunger, and hunger will breed more insecurity?
“So I want to charge this government to put their heads together to curb the issue of hunger and insecurity in the country and perhaps we can have some relief in terms of insecurity.”
