‘Why Bandits Burnt Down Farms In Birnin Gwari Communities’

Facts have emerged on the reasons for the burning of maize and other farms in communities of Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna State by bandits.

Chairman Birnin-Gwari Emirate Development Union (BEPU), Ishaq Usman Kasai, who is also the chairman of the Birnin Gwari-Niger Inter-boundaries Communities Association, in an interview with journalists disclosed that there was a breach of peace agreement.

According to him, “The only place where the security efforts have brought about peace in Birnin Gwari is along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari highway. But when you talk about the villages, there is no any major operation there that you can say it is what subsided the attacks.

“So, what happened on Sunday where some bandits actually burnt down some farms along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road, is that, some areas around Kwoga, Zoko and Gayam area. That area is being covered by one notorious bandit kingpin called Yellow Janbros.

“The reason why they had enjoyed relative peace in the time past is that, people in that axis did negotiation with Yellow Janbros group in order for them to be able to farm.

“However, recently when people discovered that the peace deal will no longer be possible, because despite the peace deal, the group continued to harass farmers in the areas because they needed money.

“Their modus operandi is that, during rainy season, the bandits will enter into agreement, but once farmers start harvesting, they will bring up one issue and make it look like it is the villagers that broken the deal.

“But, there is a military officer that has been mobilized to the area who has been working very hard to tame the bandits passing through the Cattle route from Zamfara, through Birnin Gwari to Niger State to carry out attacks.

The military officer and his team have been able to neutralize some of the bandits belonging to the Yellow Janbros group. Just about two weeks ago, the military officer led his men to lay ambush on the bandits group when they were passing from Niger to enter Birnin Gwari.

“So, as a reaction to the military onslaught, the bandits on Sunday set ablaze harvested farm produce around that axis. They did this and told the people of the area to come and re-negotiate the peace or they will continue to carry out more attacks. So, by hearing that, the people of the area are now trying to see how they can support the soldiers to defeat the bandits.

“So, basically we can say the breakdown of peace deal and the military onslaught on the bandits gave rise to the renewed attacks on farms,” he said.

He however said, before the Sunday attack, “there is an Islamic Cleric from Bauchi/Gombe axis, they call him Azadu Sunnah, who came down to Birnin Gwari on Saturday to facilitate peace agreement between the bandits and the people of that area, but on Sunday they carried out attack against the people of the area.

“For the Birnin Gwari area and indeed the entire North-West to have peace, the government should send troops to Kuduru Forest, between Chikun and Birnin Gwari, send troops to Kamuku Forest and Kuyanbana Forest between Dan Sadau in Zamfara and Kaduna State, go to Kuzamani Forest along the Kaduna and Niger border” he said.

Meanwhile, he said, “In all those areas, there are hundreds of camps of these bandits who have been taking people to these forests, and there is not enough security action to reach those particular flashpoints. Therefore, there is need for coordinated inter-states military operations between, Kaduna, Niger and Zamfara. Let it be a simultaneous operation, let us not just stay on the road or particular communities.

“Let the military take the battle to these bandits in the forests. The bandits are permanently there in the forests, they are not moving. Even the bandits tell community people that, government can only boast but they cannot come to meet them in the forest.

“Whenever there is an operation in Zamfara, you will see bandits moving freely in forests of Birnin Gwari and Niger state and when the operation is over in Zamfara, they will still move back from Niger through Birnin Gwari forests to Zamfara.

“The Western part of Birnin Gwari which share boundary with Niger, Kebbi and Zamfara is still porous up till today and bandits move freely and govern people in that area with impunity. Only a coordinated security operation will end this madness  and clear these bandits once and for all. Reactive measures will never take us anywhere,” he said.