Killings: Like Benue, like Zamfara

In Benue state, killings became the order of the day despite the launch of Operation Hatamaku by troops.
Similarly, in Zamfara state, lives of Innocent Nigerians are being cut short for unknown reasons.
Recently, armed bandits allegedly killed at least 42 persons in an onslaught on 18 villages under Mashema, Kwashabawa and Birane districts of Zurmi local government area of Zamfara state.
In this analysis, ABDULRAHMAN ZAKARIYAU takes a look at issues surrounding the unending killings in Zamfara.
Why killings persist Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, Communication and Media, Ibrahim Dosara, told Blueprint Weekend that the limited number of security personnel is one of the reasons the killing still persist.
He said: “The killings still persists because Zamfara state with population of over 4 million people has less than 20% of their requirements in terms of security.
There is no local government in Zamfara state where we have 20 policemen except Gusau, Talata Mafara, Zafe and Kaura Namuda, out of the 14 local governments only four you will get 20 policemen.
How can this few contain bandits who move in troops? “Also, we don’t have up to 20 military personnel in all the local government area, except the four local governments I listed earlier. For such large numbers of criminals to be contained, there is need for high number of security in the state.
So, the number of security personnel we have in Zamfara state is grossly inadequate.
“The weapons being used by our security personnel are also less sophisticated than the one being used by the armed bandits.
Also, we are surrounded by forest where these criminals hide, so when security attacks at one end, they move down to another end.
We also have the issue of insurgents being displaced in North-east running down to Zamfara because of our fertile land.
Zamfara aso shares boundary with Niger Republic and neighbours, Libya, where weapons are being sold like groundnuts.
So, for the killings to be tackled in Zamfara state we need serious security operation to flush out these criminals.” Government: Reactive, not proactive Notably, the killings started since about seven years ago, it was sometimes ago reported in the media that cumulatively over 2,000 people and destroyed property running into several billions of naira in some towns and villages across nine out of the 14 local governments in the state.
However, as a result of the last killing, the government deployed at least 1, 000 security personnel which comprised the army, air force, and police and civil defence.
In a statement he issued recently, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, explained that the 1, 000 security personnel are “to make for immediate and effective response to the menace of the bandits.” “The president has also authorised the engagement by NAF, of advanced satellite surveillance technology to help in accurate detection of movement and locations of the bandits.
The government had to go to this extent because of the limitations of conventional surveillance, as the use of satellite technology could make the task of NAF less problematic,” he said.
Expectedly, this did not go well with many Nigerians.
Pundits also queried the number of security personnel (1, 000) send to protect lives and properties of Nigerians, compared to over 30,000 sent to Ekiti to allegedly protect the interest of the party and the federal government.
And it seems those in the helms of affairs and the security personnel wait for things to happen, before they react.
There is urgent need for our security personnel to do more of intelligence- gathering; they should be proactive and not reactive.
However, on the number of personnel sent to Zamfara, Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, Communication and Media, Ibrahim Dosara, told Blueprint Weekend that it was a short time arrangement that could be effective with modern weapons.
“Well that is a kind of short term arrangement, but the 1, 000 security personnel can be enough if well utilise.
One, they have aircraft that can be use and the President ordered for the use of more sophisticated intelligent gathering equipments with which the criminals can be seen before they carr out their heinous act.
So, with all these the criminals can be over powered, if not then the 1,000 security personnel won’t be enough.
Time for state police? A trip to some of these troubled spots across the country shows that Nigeria is indeed under- policed.
Many agencies have noted that the strength of the Nigeria police is less than 400, 000, to police about 200 million people, 36 states and 774 local governments.
What this simply means is that most of the communities are without a single policeman and the few with policemen have no arms to protect lives and property.
This no doubt was why Zamfara state Governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, said Nigeria is ripe for state police.
He argued further: “Democracy is growing day-by-day and if you look at the situation of who controls the police and the problems today these are internal security problems which they should be able to handle. But that is not the case either because they are not well-trained, not enough or ill-equipped.
State governors pay their allowances, provide logistics and equip them.
It is only arms and ammunition that we don’t provide and yet they don’t take orders from the state chief executives.
The fear most security experts have expressed on state police has been that governors would abuse it.
Killings due to governance failure – PDP Expectedly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the gruesome murder of about 40 Nigerians by marauders in Zamfara state and blamed it on governance.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, told Blueprint Weekend that the killings persist as a result of “continued failure of the All Progressives Congress (APC)- controlled federal government to take decisive steps to end the incessant killings in various parts of the country.” He said: “It is heartbreaking that Nigerians are daily slaughtered by marauders while those elected to protect our people are only concerned with their selfish re-election bid in 2019 and meaningless photo opportunities in the media.
In the last two months, hundreds of helpless citizens have been murdered by bandits in various parts of the country and nothing concrete has been done by the Federal Government to end the butchery and bring the perpetrators to book.
“Hardly have tears dried over the gruesome killings in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Nasarawa and other states when marauders hit Zamfara, a state known for peace, killing 41 citizens in cold blood, yet all we get is mere lip service from the APC-controlled federal government.” Continuing, he said: “Nigerians now live defenceless and in perpetual fear; our people are fast losing confidence in our institutions; as we speak, citizens are now sourcing their own security as APC-controlled Federal Government daily manifest crass indifference to the protection of our people.
“PDP stands with all our people across the nation and share in their pains at this critical time.
We, therefore, call on all Nigerians, irrespective of religion, ethnicity and political affiliation, as well as all people of goodwill across the world, to join forces in praying for our dear nation.
Zamfara officials speak Speaking to Blueprint Weekend, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, Communication and Media, Ibrahim Dosara, said “everything is calm now in the state.” According to him, the situation is becoming normal now with the deployment of troops and with the commencement of their operations.
“Those who deserted their houses are now going back; government is also on ground helping them to resettle.
While those that are in the camp are getting support from the government, so everything is becoming normal,” he said.
On the governor’s efforts to ensure that the state is secure, Dosara said: “There has never been a Governor who has been on ground in terms of providing logistic supports and facilities for security to carry on their operations in the state.
His Excellency has also been consulting with the federal government to make that more troops are deployed to the state.
He has been consulting with traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the state for the provision of intelligent for the security men and also collaborating with security agencies by providing them with whatever they want to carry out their duty effectively.” We can’t end killings – FG Meanwhile, the federal government has admitted that it might not be able to combat the spate of killings and general insecurity in the country due to poor logistics, including weapons and ammunition among others.
Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, declared this recently in Abuja at an emergency one-day internal security summit to examine, by way of conversation in practical terms, the reality of the current security situation within the country.
According to him, government is currently pursuing the implementation of a tripartite agreement for the voluntary return of Nigerian refugees in Cameroon.
“There is also a general problem of command and control, indiscipline, poor attitude to duty, and poor welfare among the personnel of the security agencies in the field which ultimately impacts negatively on operational efficiency and corporate image of our services,” he said.
Dambazau also noted that some of the threats confronting the nation were politically motivated from within the country, and that “some are induced from outside the country by those who are not comfortable with Nigeria’s potentials.” He said: “There are many challenges contributing to insecurity and impeding optimum performance of security agencies.
I will mention a few of them. Notably, there is poor logistics, including weapons and ammunition.
“So much has been happening in terms of criminal violence, specifically rural banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, communal violence, herders, farmers’ conflict, etc, and, of course, the number of victims has been increasing.
It is the responsibility of government to protect the lives and property of its citizens, and we are the very people entrusted with that responsibility by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The success of our post-conflict peace-building efforts will largely depend on our ability to coordinate and execute reconstruction, rehabilitation, resettlement and reconciliation efforts, including de-radicalisation and counternarrative programmes.” Also speaking, the representative of the Minister of Defence, Brig.-Gen.
Umar Ibrahim, advised security operative not to take sides urging them to do their job professionally.
“This emergency meeting has been long overdue.
The truth has been said and it is left for all the security agencies to wear our thinking cap go back to the drawing board and do what we are expected to do.
There is no anywhere in the world that this kind of senseless killings will be going on and security forces will go to sleep.
I want us to check this act of killings going on in most part of the country.
Please we should not take side, we must do our job accordingly,” he said.
Also, the representative of the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshal Olusoji Awomodu, said: “The Military is doing a lot and we are at the pick of the situation.
We will continue to do our best.
It has been very tough, but I can assure you as military men we are ready and always ready to put our lives on the line to ensure that everything is peaceful in this country