By Dada Ahmed.
Niger state,a geo-political entity located in North Central Nigeria is not only the state in the country where bandits,Bokoharam elements and Kidnappers unleashing mayhem on innocent, killing, maiming and destroying property worth billions of naira, thus leaving the nation with tales of woes.
Though Nigeria has been battling Bokoharam elements and bandits for more than 10 years now and the war continues, keen watchers of crime situation in the country are quick to add that Niger state seems chewing more than it can swallow in terms banditry attacks, compared to its contemporaries in the region.
The military response of the state government to banditry, according to political observers,is yet to yield the desired success.
Security experts attribute the seeming inability of the state government to overcome banditry challenges to the large size of the state which is noted to have 76,363 kilometres, said to be the one of the longest kilometre by any state in the federation.This is in addition to its abundant rich agricultural and other natural resources.
As the people of Niger state await further security measures to bail them out of the banditry onslaught in many villages in the area, crime statistics reveales that the state alone recorded more than 151, 380 persons, mostly peasant farmers, displaced by bandits in the last 24 months.
Out of the figure, 13 local government areas have various number of victims of banditry attacks with Rafi Local Governnent Area neighbouring Zamfara and Kaduna states topping the chart with 28,987.
The statistics also indicates that the Shiroro council area has over 27,678 persons displaced within the period under review. This is besides precious human lives lost and valuable property worth millions destroyed in the continued onslaught in that power state.
While speaking with President Muhammadu Buhari on security situation in his state, the Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, disclosed that the bandits,killed no fewer than 200 persons, including security person so far in January of 2022 alone, dwarfing statistics of the devastating effects of bandits in other troubled states in the federation.
The heinous crime being perpectuated against innocent persons in that state,by the bandits, does not exempt animals as they also rustle cows and other domestic animals with easy, according to victims who live to tell their story to sympathisers.
With the staggering statistics,security analysts say they are getting worried that, hardly a day passes without report of killings and other inhuman treatment of the law abiding and peace-loving residents of the state by bandits,mostly in villages of the state.
As many villagers in the state bemoan the gruesome killing and Kidnapping of their loved by the bandits,the media space was again dominated by the news of dastard act by bandits, indicating the killing of many innocent persons in Shiroro Local Government Area of the State.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Police Command in that state, SP Wasiu Abiodun who confirmed the figure said the villagers were harvesting their crops on their farm in Nakundna village when the attackers struck them.
The police spokesperson pacified minds saying that a police tactical team, led by the Area Commander in Shiroro had been drafted to the area, apparently to apprehend the criminals and restore peace and allay the fears of victims.
The attack on Nakundna has attracted sympathy from far and wide with the Governor of the state, Abubakar Sani Bello expressing concern over possible spread to neighbouring village called Wurukuchi.
Bello, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mary Noel-Berje, described the attack as “insane and unacceptable, barbaric and inhumane.”
The governor commiserated with the victims of Nakudna and Wurukuchi attacks, telling them he shared in their pains and grief but more importantly, assured them of more decisive action of his administration to guarantee safety of lives and property of inhabitants of the vulnerable communities.
The governor,who identified inability of the farmers to harvest their farm produce due to banditry attack and its repercussion that might trigger food insecurity in the state, assured the people of coordinated and simultaneous attack on the terrorists in areas sharing border with Niger state.
There is concrete evidence to show that the struggle against bandits, especially in south-eastern Niger, has been largely unabated,a developmnt many peace-loving Nigerites believe is sharpening local conflicts and impeding access to farm lands and other resources.
Experts on conflict resolution and management, therefore, stressed the need for the state government to transcend military response, with renewed vigour, by embarking on demobilisation of repentant bandits in finding lasting solution to local conflicts they observed continued to fuel insecurity in Niger state.
Other concerned Nigerians expressed the view that since banditry has political dimension to its eruption, solution to it, especially in Niger state, must also take into cognizance the need to adopt political solution to solving the raging security challenges.
In a bid to ensure the success of putting banditry to the bay,experts maintain that it must percolate the rural communites who feel alienated in the distribution of the resources of the state and venting venom on innocent persons.
They also believe that such effort and,to a great extend, would create seamless resolution to the security complexity of the state and boost the return of tranquility, peace and attainment of the desired over all political,economic and social development of Niger state.
Religious leaders also have crucial role to play in enlightening their followers, on the need to imbibe the culture of religious tolerance and the beliefs different from their perception of things to ensure religious harmony in the society and invariably contributing to reducing insecurity banditry to the barest minimum.
It is hoped that combining military tactics with civil response to arresting banditry in Niger state,with renewed vigour, will boost collective efforts aimed at stamping out the menace, not only in Niger state but also Nigeria at large, sooner or later.
Ahmed is a blogger and social commentator.
