Security
Shehu Sani Hails Gobir’s Communities For Confronting Bandits
By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
The former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has praised the people and residents of Gobir Communities in Sokoto State, North-west Nigeria, for heeding the call for People’s Shahada Actions and moving into the Forests to confront the daredevil bandits face to face.
In a viral video seen online, thousands of residents from Gobir in Sokoto State stormed the forest in large numbers to confront bandits who have been terrorizing their community in recent years.
In his reaction to the video, the human rights activist said it’s high time the people took over the fight against banditry frontally without fear. Stressing, “No better time for People’s Shahada Actions than now.”
Shehu Sani, who has expressed anger over the killing of the Emir of Gobir and the incessant cases of kidnap by ravaging bandits in the northern regions, said failure on the side of security agencies to tackle issues of insecurity, especially banditry compelled him to make the call for People’s Shahada Actions as the potent solution to contain the excesses of bandits.
In a post via his Facebook handle today, Shehu Sani averred, “The solution to the incessant and intractable problems of the cruelty and menace of Banditry in the North West is a People’s Shahada action, which is a masses movement to fumigate and disinfect their lands, forests, and farms against banditry and bandits.
“This theory is aimed at permanently freeing the people from the criminality of kidnappings and killings so that they can take back their lives, their farms, and schools.
“Vigilante and security agencies can all collaborate and cooperate on this to achieve results, praying may Allah bring peace to our dear country.”
Senator Sani had in the past raised the alarm severally about how bandits took over the north and how they were able to establish a governance structure.
His words: “Virtually now, bandits in the North West have become a state within a state. They have been able to establish governance structure in the sense that they don’t just kidnap and extort money, it has reached a point where they even install.”
He also made frantic efforts to call on security agencies to make bold steps to solve the problems of Boko Haram and surging banditry before getting out of hand while he was in the Senate as a lawmaker.
He equally did the same when he made a video speaking on the need to rescue the late Emir of Gobir before he was brutally killed by bandits.
But this time, the former lawmaker rather enjoined all citizens and residents across the three geo-political regions of the north to move into the Forests and dislodge all bandits.
“Enough of the killings of innocent people for no just reason. I strongly believe the People’s Shahada Actions is the best option to rid our region of bandits and criminal elements ” he emphasized.
No fewer than 26 people lost their lives, with three others sustaining injuries, following an improvised explosive device (IED) detonation along the Rann–Kala Balge–Gamboru Ngala highway in Borno.
According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, several civilian vehicles travelling from Rann in Kala Balge LGA ran into a series of hidden explosives.
Makama said the incident occurred on Monday after the convoy veered into a zone where the IEDs had been strategically placed.
The publication said the IEDs were triggered by the movement of vehicles, adding that emergency personnel were swiftly deployed to evacuate victims and administer first aid.
“Security forces have since cordoned off the affected route and commenced clearance operations to ensure safety and prevent a repeat of the incident,” the report said.
“Those injured have been transferred to nearby hospitals where they are currently receiving medical attention.”
Last week, Mohammed Badaru, minister of defence, said President Bola Tinubu is committed to addressing the growing security challenges in Borno state.
The minister spoke about the administration’s commitment to meeting all operational needs of the troops to enhance security in the region.
The Oodua Integrity Group, a Nigerian civil society organisation, has called on Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to investigate and arrest an alleged gun runner, land grabber,popularly called then insert Lucky Blessings Abuah aka bullets of Achala Ibusa village operating in Asaba and Ibuzor, Delta State, accusing him of orchestrating criminal activities with the aid of rogue police officers.
Tosin Olaoluwa, the group’s South-South coordinator, made the appeal following intelligence gathered from concerned residents.
The suspect, identified as Achala Ibusa but popularly known as “Bullet,” is accused of running a network involving illegal arms trafficking, land grabbing, and cult-related activities.
Olaoluwa claimed Bullet operates with the protection of police officers from Rivers State, in violation of regulations prohibiting officers from working outside their command without approval.
According to the group, four AK-47 rifles were recently discovered hidden in a house in Ibuzor.
Two mobile police officers guarding the property reportedly distanced themselves from the find, raising suspicions of their involvement with Bullet, who is allegedly a leader of the Viking cult.
The Oodua Integrity Group further alleged that an assistant commissioner of police is complicit in Bullet’s activities.
The group highlighted that up to 10 mobile police officers are attached to Bullet, despite IGP Egbetokun’s recent directive to withdraw such personnel from individuals not legally entitled to their services.
“We urge the IGP to take immediate action to arrest the culprit in the interest of the general public,” Olaoluwa said, describing Bullet as a miscreant exploiting government security agents to perpetrate crimes.
In a separate incident, the group claimed that security agents from an agency in Abuja, acting on intelligence, were prevented from arresting Bullet by his police escorts.
The officers, reportedly from Rivers State, allegedly used tear gas and fired shots to obstruct the operation.
The Oodua Integrity Group warned that Bullet’s activities, including stockpiling AK-47s and other weapons in Asaba and Ibuzor, pose a significant threat to public safety.
They called for a thorough investigation into the allegations and the immediate apprehension of those involved.
The Nigeria Police Force has yet to respond to the allegations. Efforts to reach a spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
The Kaduna state Police Command has debunked reports of a bomb explosion in the Abakpa area of the metropolis, which reportedly killed two children.
The spokesman of the Command, Mansir Hassan, said in a statement that preliminary investigations conducted by the Anti-Bomb Squad indicate that a locally made firearm (Dane gun) was discharged, resulting in the unfortunate loss of life of the young boy.
According to the police, the incident, which occurred at about 8:30 am on Tuesday at Josawa Road in the Abakpa area, claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy, identified as Abubakar Muhammed of Josawa Road, while seven other individuals sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The statement stated that a combined team of policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer of Kawo Division and the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Chairman of Kaduna North Local Government, all visited the scene following a distress call, and a thorough on-site assessment was carried out.
Police disclosed that further investigations and assessments are ongoing to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Command equally assured the public that further developments will be promptly and transparently communicated.