By Luka Binniyat
Residents erupted in joyful noise, last Tuesday, as
Governor Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State emerged
from his vehicle in Birnin Gwari -the beleaguered
headquarters of Birnin Gwari Local Government
Area, LGA, of the state, about 120km west of
Kaduna metropolis.
In the estimation of the people who had thronged
there, El Rufai was a liberator. The reason was
not far-fetched: They had been held under the
pincer-grip of murderous gangsters for years. The
gunmen had scoffed at the feeble attempts by the
police and the military to chase them out.
But, that day, seated on the rain soaked ground
before the governor and his entourage were nine
half-stripped men, some with wide scars on their
heads and parts of their exposed bodies – a
signature of their violent trade. They were,
according to official accounts, among the
administrators of the reign of terror that had been
unleashed on Birnin Gwari and a much larger area
that borders four other states. Behind the
suspected gangsters were the alleged evidence of
their greed and criminality– about 50 cows.
The recovered cows, swathing flies with their tails,
and unaware of the excitement around them, were
just a fraction of the over 2,000 cows recovered
from the suspected serial rustlers and their fleeing
accomplices as would be later revealed in this
story.
El Rufai had arrived the place with some state
officials to ascertain the success of a joint
security initiative arranged by him, in
collaboration with the governments of Kaduna,
Kebbi, Zamfara, Niger and Katsina states.
400 troops searching for rustlers
It was an operation that involved at least 400
operatives from the military, the police, State
Security Service, and the Civil Defence Corps. The
objective was to rout, kill or arrest and bring to
book hundreds of suspected bandits, kidnappers,
terrorists, rapists, and other assorted criminals
who have found the savannah, and forest
stretches that bound the five states a haven for
their heinous crimes for years, as El Rufai once
announced while the consultation was ongoing
last month.
The other Sambisa forest
This swath of land had become the literal
equivalent of the infamous Sambisa forest for
these states – and with haunting facts to match.
Stitching together the accounts of victims, this
area of criminals’ haven may cover a landmass
bigger than Abia and half of Imo State combined.
It contains game reserves, hills, valleys and
endless plains of savannah with its rich fodder for
livestock.
The area is served by perennial streams, rivers
and even the 230 km2 Shiroro Dam in Niger
State.
There are hundreds of isolated villages, with
primitive roads networks, no communication
facilities and hundreds of miles away from the
nearest police post, not to mention the absence
of basic essential services. They are hardly
noticed by governments and politicians, except, of
course, during elections, as many have
complained.
The size of the “forest” may have been very
discouraging for security agencies to comb, more
so that the attention of government was fully
drawn to fighting Boko Haram terrorists in the
real Sambisa forest and parts of the North-East.
But, the impunity of the criminals in the Kaduna ‘
Sambisa forest’ is no less grim, widespread and
indictment of government’s lack of interest in the
security and well-being of its people living there.
There were reports of brigands capturing villages
in this circle, and camping there for weeks
unchallenged, to leisurely move to the next target.
There were also stories of how they would
enslave villagers, kill the men, serially rape their
women and loot villages dry. At this time, they
would lay siege to village markets, killing and
carting away booties. Cows are their favourite’s
trophies. That is not all, motorists and
passengers on the major highways passing
through these areas are always under the siege of
these gunmen.
One account said they would move with their
wives and children, complete with house-hold
materials, and even power generating sets.
Another account said that they would capture a
school teacher who would be forced to teach
their children basic learning skills. Health workers
were also said to have been forced to join them.
They were believed to be made up of rogue Fulani
men, Chadians, Malians and Nigeriens.
Gov El Rufai, flanked by Kaduna State Police
Commissioner, Shehu Umar (left), and Captain A.
Ujah at the ‘Sambisa Forest’
The thieves, it was learnt, operated in scores, at
times numbering about a hundred, well armed
with good logistics.
Most of the stolen thousands of cows in northern
Nigeria allegedly found their way to these bushes,
where they were sold into an elaborate network of
black markets, with the complicity of law
enforcement officials.
The affected areas, ironically, are blessed with
rich soil and weather. This had encouraged
commercial crops and animal farming by rich
northerners, side-by-side with the subsistent
farming of the locals. That had in turn attracted
allied businesses and services, and had made
Birnin Gwari, for example, a budding commercial
town.
But all that has stopped for now. All the big farms
had closed after serial attacks by the criminals.
All the Banks in Birnin Gwari are now closed after
many attacks on them. On January 31, 2013,
three policemen were killed and two banks
robbed, then set ablaze by the marauders.
The bandits operated with curious boldness
robbing on the Kaduna-Birnin-Gwari highway
almost on daily basis. At times they would rob a
few kilometres to Kaduna town and around 8am
unchallenged for hours, residents said.
In June, 2013, the Emir of Birnin Gwari said cried
to the then Kaduna State governor, Alh. Mukhtar
Ramalan Yero, that rustlers had seized his
emirate and were in full control of most areas.
The response of Yero was not known. But by all
accounts, nothing changed under the former
governor.
El-Rufai to the rescue
Captain A. Ujah, who took El Rufai around some
of the liberated areas, on behalf of Brig. Gen.
Samuel Malu, the man in charge of the operation,
said that after an exchange of gunfire between
the thieves and operatives, three of the suspects
died and nine were apprehended while the rest
fled. He did not mention where the encounter took
place. He said 2,000 cows had so been recovered
among other suspected stolen valuables. He
added that the affected areas of the five states
would be combed in a sustainable manner to
stamp out outlaws.
Speaking to newsmen later, said: “So far so good.
We are very proud of the work done by the armed
forces and other security agencies in trying to
solve this lingering problem.
“We ask our people to pray for the security
agencies carrying out this operation so that there
will be minimal damages on their part, for it is an
obvious serious operation like any encounter with
well armed, desperate groups.
“The operation is a joint one currently going on in
five states, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna,
Niger that have forests where bandits are hiding
to commit crime.
“The army, the air force, the police, State Security
Service, SSS, Civil Defence are involved in this
operation.
“We are very confident that we shall deal with
this menace in a decisive way, so that people can
go about their normal businesses in peace and
with dignity”.
It was good outing for El Rufai. And it would
seem like the only initiative the former Minister of
the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has introduced
without igniting controversy since he became the
governor of Kaduna state.
Timeline of killings
August 2011: Armed robbers go from house to
house in search of members of vigilante groups in
some villages under Dansadau Emirate, Maru
LGA. Ten persons are killed in the attack.
October 2011: Bandits return, kill 23 persons and
injur many others in the same villages, and
escaped.
January 2012: 15 traders are ambushed and
killed; their corpses burnt in Birnin Magaji local
government area of Zamfara State allegedly by
the same gang.
June 2012: The same gang return to Dansadau,
going from house to house, killing the residents
and setting their houses ablaze unchallenged for
hours by security agencies. 27 residents are killed
in that orgy of bloodbath.
In October 2012: Not less than 24 people are
murdered by bandist in Dogon Hawa, in Birnin
Gwari LGA of Kaduna State.
In April 2014: Grieving Emir of Dansadau, Alhaji
Hussaini Adamu, tells Governor Abdullaziz Yari of
Zamfara State that 105 villagers were killed by
cattle rustlers in Yargaladima village in Dansadau
Emirate of Maru Local government area of
Zamfara State within three days.
On May 2, 2015, suspected bandist kill 20 people
and set houses ablaze in Gworon Dutse village,
Birnin Gwari LGA.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/07/at-last-kadunas-sambisa-forest-is-liberated/

u

...

Kk

sai el-rufai

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Good news

cc: Lalasticala. change is blowing in Kaduna state.

K

FTC

Great news!

El-Rufai and Sambisa self..

Mogidi:
El-Rufai and Sambisa self..

**in MI's voice** Bad bele is allowed