Say No And Die: Niger Community Turned Bandit Messengers

For the people of Dakera District in Borgu local government area of Niger State, refusal is not an option. Bandits hand villagers millions of naira to shop for them, leaving residents with a grim choice: say no and risk deadly reprisals, or say yes and become unwilling participants in the criminal networks terrorising their communities. Caught between fear and survival, they live a reality where every errand could be a matter of life and death. ABU NMODU chronicles the harrowing dilemma confronting the villagers.

Bandits operating in the forests around Dakera District compel selected villagers to run errands on their behalf, handing them large sums of cash, sometimes running into millions of naira and detailed shopping lists.

The items range from food ,fuel,  medicines and other essentials needed to sustain the armed groups. Once assigned, the villagers are expected to complete the purchases and deliver them to specified locations without delay or resistance.

The first time the bandits using the Kainji Lake forest as a camp came to Dakera was early last year. They came with their guns blazing and shooting randomly. In the end, scores were abducted, including the village head, and others later died.

More than a week later, the bandits returned to the communities, this time, not with guns blazing, but with bundles of cash, recruiting residents of Gbenji-Gidazana, Kpeya, Biyan and Giragbasso-Imile to procure supplies on their behalf.

Findings revealed that the bandits considered the area an ideal operational base because of its terrain and its proximity to Babanna District, located along the Nigeria–Benin Republic border, where a large market provides easy access to supplies.

LEADERSHIP Sunday findings revealed that these bandits approached villagers in Gbenji-Gidazana, Kpeya, Biyan and Giragbasso-Imile in Dakera District to purchase food items and other supplies with money collected as ransom from communities across Borgu in Niger State, apparently to avoid exposing themselves.

It was further learnt that the tactic adopted by the bandits was also aimed at shielding their informants and suppliers from the surveillance of joint security forces deployed under Operation Savannah. The bandits were also said to have used the money to lure villagers, gain their confidence and support, and turn the communities into operational outlets.

Sources  who pleaded not to be named for security reasons told our correspondent that  the bandits paid up to twice the market price for the items they requested in a bid to win over the villagers and secure their loyalty. The strategy, it was learnt, was aimed at establishing a foothold in the communities while ensuring a steady flow of supplies to their camps in the Kainji Lake Forest.

One of the sources from Gbenji-Gidazana village recalled the encounter and said,  “This time, we heard the sound of motorcycles. When they arrived, they brought N3.8 million to purchase items such as vegetable oil, rice, beans and other provisions from Babanna Market. Ordinarily, those items would have cost about N1.5 million.”

The source said suspicion was raised when the bandits told the villagers to keep the balance of the money after making the purchases, prompting them to immediately alert the authorities.

Speaking on his experience in recent days, Mallam Farouk, a resident of Kpeya-Biyan, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the bandits gave them N2.3 million to purchase sugar, cooking oil, condiments, spaghetti, noodles, detergent, beverages and other food items.

“The money was far above the value of the items they requested. We became afraid and suspicious, and decided to report the matter to the authorities,” he said.

He said: “They started with the supply of petroleum motor spirit (PMS) for their motorcycles and other logistics needed for their operations, then moved on to food and other items, offering people mouth-watering sums of money. But the district head told us not to accept their offer, and people started turning them down.”

Mallam Adamu Idris also narrated that his encounter said, “Men on motorcycles rolled into our compound just after Maghrib (evening) prayers. The leader, his face wrapped in a turban, pulled out a crumpled list and a black polythene bag: ‘Rice. Maggi. Petrol. Paracetamol. Maltina.’ He recited it like a market woman. Then he dropped the bag at Idris’s feet and said, ‘N2.8 million. Buy everything, you can keep the rest.’”

He said the cash was musty and smelled of soil, clearly indicating where and for how long it had been kept. “My thought was: ‘Now the ransom they collected from us is back, only this time, I am being given to spend it for them.’ It was funny, but also a painful dilemma,” he added.

He said they were ordered to procure foodstuffs, beverages, fuel and other household items, and were warned of consequences should they fail to comply with the directive.

They were therefore caught between complying and aiding banditry in their communities or reporting the matter to the authorities. District Head Mallam Adamu Haruna took the risk and warned his people against complying with the bandits.

While confirming this, the District Head of Dakera said the matter had been reported to the appropriate security agencies and government authorities for urgent intervention.

The Police public relations officer (PPRO) of the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the police were conducting verification and were on top of the situation based on the information available to them.

The Niger State commissioner of Homeland Security, Barrister Maurice Magaji, confirmed that the incident was reported by villagers about ten days ago. “We moved proactively and also sensitised the villagers on the dangers of the new strategy adopted by the bandits,” he said.

“You can imagine where something cost N50 and somebody is offering N100 for the same thing, you should know something is wrong and the person is desperate,” he said.

According to him, “the bandits wanted to lure the villagers and capitalised on the gullibility and greed of some of the people, but luckily the villagers reported promptly and the security operatives swung into action. I can tell you we were proactive and it had been nipped in the bud.”

He said the government had sensitised the people to immediately report any such incidents of bulk purchases that were suspicious, so that action could be taken.

LEADERSHIP Sunday findings revealed, however, that immediately the incident was reported, joint security forces, including soldiers, were mobilised to Dakera communities.

Further findings revealed that soldiers had taken over major routes to the village and chased the bandits out, as they took over some of the motorcycles abandoned by the bandits.

.It has been reported that soldiers and other security operatives have so far,  established a temporary camp in the affected  communities to prevent possible attacks. The villagers  have been living in fear since they informed the authorities about the  group

Other sources in the village told LEADERSHIP Sunday that bandits made attempts at the weekend to enter the communities and retrieve the money they had already given some villagers to purchase items, but were repelled by soldiers.

Despite the relative calm in the communities, security operatives have been urged to sustain surveillance, as recent experiences have shown that bandits capitalise on minor lapses to attack communities they believe have exposed them to security operatives.