In renewed attacks which saw nothing less than 56 people killed and over 108 others injured in separate attacks in Borno and Katsina states in the dying days of the just concluded Ramadan (Holy month of fasting), Nigerians have reacted to the deadly attacks. In Borno State, the epicenter of the Boko haram insurgency, 23 people were killed in multiple suicide bombing attacks in the State capital, Maiduguri, while 108 people sustained various degrees of injuries.
Twenty-four hours later, Bandits attacked Farun Bala, Falale, and Kadobe villages in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State, killing 15 people and injuring several others. The incident occurred one year after peace had returned to the communities following a community-led agreement with bandits who had terrorised residents across several local government areas in the state. Before then, 18 people had been killed in a village under the Faskari Local Government Area.
This resulted in most of the members of the communities having to relocate to the headquarters of the local government. Similarly, the insurgents attacked in Danmusa Local Government Area, where an unspecified number of people were also dispatched to early graves, though the Nigerian Army was called in and there was an exchange of fire between the bandits, where 25 of the bandits were neutralised and three officers killed, including a colonel of the Nigerian army.
Further, the bandits launched an attack on Jikamshi, Musawa Local Government Area, where two people were killed. In Zamfara State, the situation is no less different. Zamfara State has been plagued by fresh attacks from bandits, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan, forcing many communities to abandon their homes and struggle for safety.
A traditional leader from the Dansadau district lamented: “The bandits have extended their operations to even many towns and villages where there was relative peace… It is like these criminals are receiving reinforcements from elsewhere.” Isa Dangwamma, a kidnapping victim, who recently regained freedom, shared his harrowing experience. “None of them had a sign of mercy for humanity.
They discussed many issues, that a bandit would be paid by his leader according to the number of people he kidnaps.” The bandits’ tactics have included planting explosives on major roads, instilling fear in commuters, and disrupting transportation and social activities.
A security source claimed the bandits were “fast losing grounds,” but asked for patience as measures were being taken to address the situation. Also, there was an attack by bandits in Jikamshi town of Musawa Local Government, which resulted in the killing of two persons.
A senior local government official in Jibia, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack was triggered by an earlier confrontation between local vigilantes and repentant bandits. The recent attacks could be linked to growing political activities, a political analyst, who did not want his name in print said.
“Why is it that when there is a heightened political activity, that is when there is a surge in insecurity? Why are these people brazen in their attacks? They took out about four Commanders about a week ago, and then Borno, where there has been relative peace, and we now have suicide bombers. They have now gone back to the era of suicide bombings.
There is more to it than meets the eye,” the source said. Sunday Telegraph gathered that during the week, on Wednesday, Nigerian soldiers took out quite a number of the insurgents’ commanders in one fresh swoop, which is why the military high command believes that they should take the battle to them with the view to taking them out,” another military source said.
The source continued: “That is why they are fighting back. They are containing them, and they are also enhancing their defence capability and intelligence gathering. “They are also reaching out to friendly nations on how to contain and defeat the insurgents. That is why the Minister of Defence was also on the entourage to Britain with the President, to get some support.
They are also in talks with Turkey in terms of military hardware. “They are no longer bandits; they are terrorists, who are in full war with the nation. That is why they can go all out to attack a forward Military base and then take out the Commanders. It means that we are at war. “There is also a crossborder aspect of it, because Niger, our neighbors are equally involved with networking.
They are networking with the government of this country to see that they do not give them sanctuary, to ensure that the borders are well manned, and these people do not wage war against them.” To Major General Williams (rtd), with what happened in Maiduguri, “it means that all the intelligence and counterintelligence failed because we have all the security agencies and intelligence units in that state. Borno State, too, has its own intelligence organisation.
How did that happen, in three places at the same time?” To the executive director of Muslims Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof Ishaq Akintola, the attackers, who are killing during Ramadan are pretenders. They are not Muslims. He said: “As for the terrorists and the demons, who pretend to be Muslims and continue to attack innocent people, attacking Christians, Muslims, traditionalists, either during Ramadan or not, but in particular during this Ramadan, we are very sure that they are hypocrites and they are not true Muslims.
“These people were imported from outside Nigeria, and those who are Nigerians among them, many of them have never been Muslims. They are being paid to kill, maim, burn houses, and there is much deeper meaning in that, and another thing is that they are not really human beings, and anybody who tells me that these are ordinary human beings, I will tell him he’s just a comedian.
“Some people somewhere are after Nigeria; they want to destroy this country, and they want to destroy this country. We should know this: Those who are attacking us in Ramadan are not Muslims.”
