Bandits Kill 51, Houses Burnt In Attacks On Communities

– Many feared kidnapped on Kaduna-Abuja highway•Defence minister in Zamfara •President orders sustained military onslaught•Lawan: Nigerians want action, not excuses

By Justina Asishana, Minna; Kolade Adeyemi, Jos and AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna; Bolaji Ogundele, and Sanni Onogu, Abuja, The Nation

Gunmen on Tuesday morning and night struck in three communities in Niger and Plateau states, killing 51 residents before fleeing unchallenged.

Bodies of 34 persons killed in Niger’s Nakuna and Wurukuchi communities were found in bushes and farms.

Fourteen of them were said to be members of two different families.

Seventeen others were killed in Ancha, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State by the gunmen who also set many houses ablaze.

The attacks occurred shortly before reports emerged that many traders were kidnapped along the Birnin-Gwari-Kaduna Highway.

The attacks in Niger and Plateau were confirmed by Police Commissioner Monday Kuryas and Operation Safe Haven Commander Maj.-Gen. I. S. Ali. They did not dispute the figures.

Earlier yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a sustained military onslaught against bandits, gunmen, and terrorists across the country.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan also expressed worry over the rising security challenges, saying that Nigerians needed action and not excuses.

The Nakuna and Wurukuchi attacks on Tuesday morning were said to be reprisals by the gunmen for last week’s killing of many of their colleagues by vigilantes and hunters.

The gunmen were said to have captured and killed three of the hunters in one of the two communities.

The Nation learnt that 10 residents killed in Nakuna were members of the same family while four others were from another family in Wurukuchi.

Not giving up after the killings, the gunmen proceeded to burn down many houses and food barns in Nakuna.

Commissioner of Police Kuryas, who confirmed the killings, said policemen had been drafted to the communities.

The Nation gathered that in Ancha, Plateau State, the gunmen killed 17 residents and set ablaze many houses.

Information officer of Operation Safe Haven Ishaku Takwa, said: “In the late hours of Tuesday 11 January 2022, troops received a distress call of an attack on Ancha community.

“The troops responded swiftly and mobilised to the village. On reaching the community, the attackers had fled. Houses were destroyed and some villagers lost their lives during the attack.

“Troops are on the trail of the assailants and details of the pursuit would be made available later.”

Operation Safe Haven Commander I. S Ali, who commiserated with the families of the victims, assured that the perpetrators would be arrested.

Governor Simon Bako Lalong expressed sadness over the attack, saying it was another sad tale in the unending cycle of violence in the area.

He ordered security agencies to ensure the arrest of the attackers.

He also commiserated with the families of the victims and directed the state Emergency Management Agency and the Peace Building Agency to offer immediate humanitarian interventions.

Traders abducted on Birnin-Gwari-Kaduna Highway

An unspecified number of traders travelling to Kano from Birnin-Gwari Local Government of Kaduna State were allegedly abducted by bandits yesterday.

The bandits were said to have blocked the highway between Birnin Gwari and Kaduna at Unguwar Yako forest.

A source said: “ We spotted four empty vehicles and the drivers said an unspecified number of persons moving from Birnin-Gwari axis to Kano had been kidnapped.”

A spokesperson for the Kaduna State Police Command Muhammad Jailge could not be reached for comment on the incident.

Buhari orders sustained military onslaught

President Buhari has again assured that his administration would do whatever it takes to put a final stop to the activities of terrorists and bandits in parts of the country.

He spoke in Gusau, Zamfara State, through his delegation that was in the state on a condolence visit to the government over the killing of scores of residents last week.

Minister of Defense, Maj.- Gen. Bashir Magashi led the team.

Buhari described the Zamfara incident as an “extremely unfortunate” mass killing of innocent people by retreating bandits.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the President said there would be no holding back in the ongoing military campaigns to get rid of terrorists and bandits unleashing terror on the people and communities.

He said: “There will be no let-up in the ongoing campaign to rid Zamfara and other affected states of the menace of these terrorists. Since they have no regard for the sanctity of life, so shall they be dealt with.

“The government is fully informed of what is going on and will do whatever it takes to end this. We are here to talk to the Governor and to assure the state that the administration is determined to do more to defend the life and property of the people.”

Governor Bello Matawalle, who welcomed the delegation called on the Federal Government to fortify the security of the state with additional Armored Personnel Carriers, APCs and to roll out a special intervention fund for all the states affected by insecurity.

Lawan: Nigerians want actions, not excuses

Senate President Lawan said that Nigerians were tired of stories of incessant killings in the country by criminals.

He spoke in Abuja when some Senators and journalists covering the Senate visited to felicitate with him on his 63rd birthday.

Lawan insisted that insecurity was not good for the country.

His words: “A few days ago, reports have it that over 200 people were killed in Zamfara State. This is not the kind of story we want to hear as a people and as a government.

“The situation is not too good as far as the wanton killings by all manners of criminals are concerned.

“The security situation in the country is begging for more attention and it shall be given because that is the primary purpose of governance.”

All Progressives Congress (APC) governors, who also visited Matawale, said despite some positives by the federal and state governments, cooperation was vital to combat insecurity in the country.

They noted that in the last few years, a lot was being done to address the security challenges in the country but pointed out that more resources and community mobilization were still needed to flush out terrorists and bandits.

The governors were led by Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State.