They came on motorbikes shooting anyone on sight. Many of us ran for cover into nearby bushes or anywhere that provided a semblance of safety from the attackers. They carted away anything they felt was valuable and set fire to our homes, burning down our village.
At first, we didn’t know what was happening when we heard noises of so many motor bikes. But when we heard the gunshots, we knew they were bandits and began to run for our lives. People were dropping like flies as we ran to the nearby bushes. We later returned to organize mass burials for the dead.
As I speak to you, bodies are still being recovered from the village with many mutilated or burned. After shooting at people indiscriminately, they began to loot the village. All we could do was to watch them from a distance as they ransacked and pillaged our homes. When they were done, they set the village ablaze, not minding who got caught up in the fire…”
These are bloody accounts of some villagers that were attacked by more than 300 gunmen on motorcycles recently that stormed eight villages in the Anka local government area in Zamfara, shooting sporadically and killing scores of people. The attackers also rampaged through 10 villages in Anka and Bukkuyum districts the following day, firing at residents, looting, and burning homes.
36 people were reported to have been killed in Bukkuyum local government area while 22 others died in the attacks on Anka. The casualty figures were confirmed by the Emirs in both local governments and the State Government. However, some unofficial estimates peg the death toll at about 200. Reports also had it that the bandits were sighted on their way to attack commuters on the road when military troops engaged them in a gun duel.
From indication, the attacks were as a result of the military air raids on targets in the Gusami forest and west Tsamre village in Zamfara that killed more than 100 bandits including two of their leaders. In recent days, the military has acquired more equipment to track down and eliminate criminal gangs, as well as bandits, which have been subjecting people to a reign of terror, including through the illegal imposition of taxes on communities under siege.
Government officials as well as security experts have maintained that the latest attacks by bandits on innocent people in Zamfara state is an act of desperation by the bandits, now under relentless pressure from the military. The military recently said that they have killed 537 armed bandits and other criminal elements and arrested 374 others since May last year, while 452 kidnapped civilians were rescued.
Finally, Bandits have now been designated as terrorists, allowing for tougher sanctions under the terrorism prevention act for suspected shooters, their informants, and supporters such as those caught supplying them with fuel and food. However, the conflict is becoming more and more deadly as the security forces are struggling to deal with the problem. It is not a hidden fact that resources of the military are stretched thin as they respond to crisis across the country.
Bandit violence arguably has its roots in clashes between nomadic cattle herders and sedentary farmers over land and resources. But tit-for-tat attacks have over the years spiraled into broader criminality. The Northwestern parts of the country has seen a sharp rise in mass abductions and other violent crimes since late 2020 as the government struggles to maintain law and order.
Recall that last year, bandits made international headlines with a series of high-profile attacks on schools and colleges where they kidnapped hundreds of pupils. Most were released but some of those students are still being held. Kidnapping has become the fastest growing enterprise, especially in areas within the Northwestern part of the country. Efforts to stem the abduction tide have failed because of weak sanctioning and deterrence mechanisms.
Sadly, banditry and other causes of insecurity in the North have been allowed to degenerate into a complex national emergency. This mirrors exactly what happened with the Boko Haram insurgency. From sporadic incidents, Boko Haram began launching systematic attacks targeted at individuals, communities and, eventually, the state. Thus, there’s no more effective solution than tactical synergy between grassroots vigilantes and the state security operatives.
The government’s current counter banditry effort, based on military reconnaissance and raids, is commendable. But owing largely to the operational challenges arising from insufficient knowledge of the terrain, it seems to be failing to bring about the much-needed respite.
This makes the involvement of local vigilantes and community watch groups, who have a better knowledge of the terrain, more important. The successes recorded by the Civilian Joint Task Force, comprising local vigilantes and volunteer neighborhood watchers, in combating the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin shows the possible value of this sort of community policing.
Intelligence gathering is also vital in the current counter banditry efforts. Active citizen engagement and citizen cooperation may be the most essential element of a successful response. However, security force violence against citizens as well as trust issues may prove to be a stumbling block. Remedying this and building trust with citizens should be a top priority of any national security strategy.
The welfare and provision of adequate equipment for our security personnel particularly those in the frontline are also paramount. There have been stories of lack of incentive and firepower by our troops in the theater of war. This needs to be addressed. Adoption of technology such as the proper use of drones similar to those in other climes can help effectively reduce banditry, crime and criminality.
In addition, addressing the structural inequalities that drive people to violence, such as poverty, lack of education and opportunity, exclusion and mistreatment will go a long way in curbing the insecurity challenge. Controlling the trafficking in small arms and light weapons, specifically at the points of entry in our porous national borders needs to be scaled up. Thus, banditry is not a problem that will be solved only through the barrel of a gun.
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