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A Fulani lady has revealed that bandits killed four members of her family after collecting ransom.
The lady disclosed this via Twitter on Sunday night, December 25, 2022.
The village head of Mulo Community in Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State, Mallam Usman Garba, has been killed by bandits.
The Nation reported that the bandits invaded the community on Thursday, December 22, and abducted four people including the village head.
Garba was murdered some distance from the village by the gunmen who then left with their remaining three victims.
Niger Commissioner of Internal Security, Emmanuel Umar, who confirmed the incident during a security briefing on Friday, December 23, said;
“There is improvement in the security situation in the state.“There has been a reduction in attacks but we are aware that the threat is still there and still exists.
“Of recent, we have seen attacks in the fringes of Mashegu, Mariga, and Kontagora.”
Six hostages have been released by bandits in Birnin-Gwari area of Kaduna State, after they collected 20 mudu (measures) of rice, 20 mudu of beans, 25 litres of red oil, 25 litres of groundnut oil and recharge card of N10,000 as ransom.
The bandits had killed a farmer and abducted 20 persons from their farms in Jangali and Kwaga communities of Birnin-Gwari.
Confirming the release of the hostages yesterday September 29, Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressive Union (BEPU) chairman Ishaq Usman Kasai, said the bandits have equally told some farming communities to pay 12 million in levies before they would harvest their crops.
Kasai said;
“The four people of Unguwan Liman who were kidnapped on Saturday and one at Unguwan Shekarau were released yesterday Wednesday after payment of 2 million and N500,000, respectively.
“Five farmers kidnapped on Thursday 15/9/2022 at Kurgin Gabas and Sabon-Layi areas have luckily escaped from the kidnappers’ den after spending a week in captivity.
“Regrettably, a farmer was killed at Shiwaka community on Tuesday 27/9/2022 after being tied to a tree; and more than 20 people were kidnapped on Wednesday 28/9/2022.
“The bandits informed some farming communities including Kwaga, Kwanan-Shehu, Unguwan Liman and Unguwan Shekarau to pay levies of N12 million to be allowed to continue harvesting their crops. These communities were given until Friday (today) to meet the conditions, failing which they would kidnap any person found at a farm.
The Union found that these helpless communities have started making contribution based on farm size to meet the condition and the dateline.”
Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state has described bandits as animals that kill people who pose no harm to them.
Matawalle who justified the death penalty approved for anyone convicted of banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, or cultism in the state when interviewed on Journalists’ Hangout, a TVC programme, said the state government has tried several approaches towards curbing banditry in the state, but such measures were not 100 percent successful.
He said;
“God knows I have adopted so many options for this crisis to leave the state, but unfortunately, there are good and bad people in any society.
“We’ve tried all we can. I’ve adopted so many options in the state and most of the options have yielded a lot of results.“I’ve done dialogue. I shut down the network.
We cut the food supply and we saw successes, but it’s not 100 percent. The bandits fear the Yansakai vigilante group because they use a fabricated weapon. They put motorcycle plugs into it.
Bandits fear that weapon; the weapon cuts the bandits into two.“They see Yansakai as the most devilish people. I know why I gave that directive and I’ve succeeded with that directive I’ve given.”
On if the death penalty is working and why he asked residents of the state to arm themselves, he said;
“Death penalty will work. I have signed it. Anyone found guilty will face the law. The death penalty might not be popular, but those killing people, is it popular?
“Why I said everyone should get a weapon is because these bandits are like animals. How can you see someone farming, and then go and kill him?”
“If we say our people should not carry arms, who will go and confront the bandits if not the people? Those who are saying the directive is bad, why can’t they go and save our people?
“As a governor, I can’t fold my arms and see my people being killed every day. It’s not possible. It’s one of the primary responsibilities of the governor to protect the lives and property of his people.”
Five persons, comprising four male adults and a housewife, drowned while fleeing from bandits who stormed Chakumi village in Gurdi ward of Abaji area council of Abuja and attempted to kidnap them on Wednesday, September 21.
Daily Trust reports that the village chief of Chakumi, Mohammed Magaji, who confirmed the sad incident, said the bandits stormed the village at about 11 am.
Magaji stated that the deceased victims, including a middle-aged house wife were working on the farm, when they sighted the bandits.
He said they rushed to board the canoe in order to escape to neigboring Daku village, but in the process of trying to cross the river Gurara, the boat capsized.
“And even as I am talking to you right now, the corpses of the victims have not been recovered yet as fishermen from Daku and my village are still searching for the corpses” he said.
Magaji, who decried activities of bandits in the area, said farmers could no longer go to their farms over fear of being kidnapped by bandits.
Vice-Chairman of Abaji LGA, Ibrahim Abubakar, also confirmed the incident, disclosing that one of his relatives was among those who drowned.
“In fact, one of my relatives was among those that got drowned and their bodies are yet to be recovered up till this moment that I am talking to you,” he said
Three informants linked to a kidnap for ransom syndicate that abducted the wife and two children of a serving Katsina lawmaker, Hon. Dr Ibrahim Aminu, have been arrested by the police.
Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi who confirmed the arrests, said the three key suspects confessed to the crime during the investigation. Adejobi said; “Acting on credible information, operatives of the IRT have arrested a deadly kidnap for ransom syndicate who kidnapped the wife and two children of a serving lawmaker Honourable Ibrahim Aminu in Katsina State.
“Sequel to the intelligence reports on the activities of the deadly criminal gangs by IRT operatives attached to the Operation Restore Hope of the Force in Yankwani village and Kurani town, the team swung into action and arrested the suspects in their various hideouts.
“IRT personnel arrested the key suspects Muttaka Ibrahim, Suleiman Rabiu, and Surajo all male natives of Bakori LGA for allegedly supplying the information that led to the assault on the lawmaker where his family members were taken into captivity.
“During investigation, Muttaka Ibrahim confessed to the crime saying that he and other gang members were informants to Sanni Tukur aka Abacha terrorising the people of the villages and towns in Katsina and Zamfara States.
“Other victims of the criminal syndicate include one Buhari Usman, also known as Fedeco, Nazaradeen Ibrahim, Amandallah Ahmad, Ibrahim Suleiman, Sumayya Nura, and Yahaya Bura who are currently in the captivity of the gang.
“The kidnappers, after kidnapping the wife of the lawmaker Rabi Yusuf and two of his male children all of Bakori LGA had demanded and received eleven million naira and ten million naira for his children at different times.”
Adejobi further revealed that one of the bandits’ informants, Muttaka Ibrahim, admitted that he got a payment of N130,000 from the gang leader, and also named one Yusuf Bala of Zaria as his accomplice.
The police spokesperson said;
“He also admitted that the bandits’ leader collected a total of six million five hundred thousand naira from the victims they kidnaped at Yankwani totarrating his ordeal, the lawmaker told Police investigators that he paid a total sum of thirty-seven million and five hundred thousand naira to the gang leader to secure his family member’s release from captivity.”
Adejobi added that the suspects are still undergoing investigation and would be charged to court if found culpable in the crime as alleged by the leader of the team.
Yusuf Aliyu Bello from Kano was kidnapped by bandits who invaded a farm company in Anchau town, Kabau Local Council of Kaduna state The bandits invaded the company last week, killed a soldier and abducted Bello alongside a Zimbabwean national.
His family members shared his photos on Facebook, calling for prayers.
