N’West mounts fresh counter strategies as terrorists heighten deadly attacks

JUWE OLUWAFEMI and FAITH MAJI examine the security summit organised by the North-West Governors Forum amid the rise in attacks by bandits and terrorists in the sub-region

There is no disputing the fact that the much-hyped two-day Peace and Security Summit organised by the North-West Governors’ Forum in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme was successfully held in Katsina State from June 24 to 25, 2024.

Many dignitaries were their very best element to give the occasion the much-needed pep, support, and authority it needed to send out a message to the terrorists and bandits who appeared to have been enjoying a field day in the sub-region.

Observers of the killings, kidnappings, and the destruction of property in some parts of the North are of the view that such a security summit should bring hope to the common man, the farmers, the traders, transporters, residents, the community, and the district heads, who have been at the receiving end of the continued bloodletting by terrorists.

Mallam Hussein Sanni, a retired federal civil service officer, who until recently was a big-time rice farmer in Gusau, and with a large expanse of land in the Babban Doka village in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State, had asked metaphorically, “So, after the reggae, can we play the blues?” The statement was apparently in a veiled reference to the security summit.

Asked to explain what he meant, Sanni responded, “After the fanfare and all the speeches at the summit, are we now safe to return to our farmlands and homes? Are our wives and daughters now safe from the forceful marriages, rape, and sexual exploitation from these bandits as we witness every day with our eyes and right in our homes?

“Are our sons and brothers now free from these endless and senseless killings we have helplessly and hopelessly watched, experienced, and suffered in our own ancestral home of Zamfara where there is practically no governance, and security has been left in the hands of bandits? Look, I retired from the Federal Civil Service to start rice and other grains farming in my ancestral homeland after buying some hectares of land with my gratuity. Now, the whole effort and dream have gone down the drain because bandits won’t allow us to farm.

“I was twice lucky not to have been killed along with my family members last year. They even dared to warn us never to return to our land and farms. Since then, we have stayed away,” Sanni bellowed as he lamented the situation through the mouthpiece of the phone during a chat with Sunday PUNCH.

Incidentally, Mallam Sanni does not habour these fears alone. Also inconsolable over the repeated attacks, which have led to the abduction of his four female children, is Mallam Muktari Abdulkadir, also a farmer in Munhaye village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

But 17-year-old Moses Anuzah, a recent graduate of the Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna State, was one of the kidnapped victims of bandits and terrorists who stormed and attacked the school on July 5, 2021, where over 107 innocent underage pupils were successfully seized.

Moses said the victims “were taken away sheepishly while in our deep sleep shortly after 1am from our various dormitories and hostels” in an unprovoked attack that “lasted barely 45 minutes and without any form of challenge from all the nation’s  so-called armed security personnel, the summit means no sense to me.”

Anuzah, who still bore the trauma of the audacity of the sordid event, said, “The security threat is a real issue. It cannot and must not be taken for granted. How will the North-West security summit tackle the scars and the real scare that young students like us endured for over four to five months in the deep, thick forests and den of the kidnappers while our ordeal lasted?

“After our sad situation, over 20 others, involving more innocent primary and secondary school pupils were also kidnapped in other parts of the country. Yet we have leaders and governors,” Anuzah lamented.

Despite the echoes of the sad notes from the sub-region in recent times, security experts say they wait to watch how the ideas, notes, and exchange of modern security architectural modules shared at the venue by the various speakers – comprising the President, the Vice President, security experts, leaders of thoughts, captains of industries, traditional leaders, and the several other personalities who are the team leads of non-governmental organisations who were in attendance would truly be harnessed.

“Although there are high expectations, I don’t know how the security summit, which appeared to be more of a jamboree than a true family gathering deliberately conveyed to speak the truth to each leader of the household to ease the pain, anguish, cry, deprivation, and hunger being experienced by the younger members of the household such that the household heads can be more decisive in actions and responsibilities than just mere rhetoric,” a retired Deputy Commissioner of  Police from one of the states in the North-West, who wants anonymity for political reasons, stated.

He added, “I just hope somebody is taking notes, and all these will truly address the harrowing plight of the various communities and people that make up the region?”

Sunday PUNCH further reports that the theme for the summit, ‘Regional Cooperation for Securing Lives and Livelihoods’, aims to explore solutions to the ongoing insecurity, focusing on promoting peace and stability while strengthening cooperation among state governments to tackle these complex issues.

The Katsina State Governor, Mallam Dikko Radda, had in his welcome speech centered his message on the critical nature of the summit, noting, “We have agreed to set up criteria and a secretariat to work within two to three weeks to develop the action plan and techniques for the tasks ahead, ensuring that we implement the rightful suggestions made during this conference. We also want to thank the participants who came from far and wide to contribute to the success of the summit. During the summit, we highlighted the major constraints and root causes of issues affecting the region. We were also able to be honest with ourselves about our deficiencies and discuss ways forward to address these issues.

“We, the North-West Governors Forum, assure you of our commitment to support all initiatives that will bring peace and prosperity to the North-West region. We recognise that we cannot achieve this without incorporating economic development perspectives, as economic development is a major pillar in reducing the effects of insecurity and building peace in our region. We are also committed to exploring the comparative and competitive advantages within our states and capitalising on each of those strengths. This will ensure that we create the region and the country of our choice,” Radda remarked.

While envisaging the outcome of the summit, the host governor said, “By bringing together key stakeholders, this summit is expected to serve as a platform for meaningful dialogue and action, leading to concrete strategies for enhancing peace and security in North-West Nigeria.”

Ending banditry in sub-region

One of the panelists and a retired army officer, Brigadier General Sale Bala, alongside other panelists were optimistic that the summit, if truly harnessed, would end terrorism in the region. “Application of instruments of coercion to end banditry in the North-West region is strongly advised by stakeholders during the summit’s plenary session of the North-West Peace and Security Summit put together by the North-West Governors Forum.

“Ending Kidnapping for Ransom: The politics, people and power structures,” was a topical issue of discussion as its objective was not only to drive a political will in ending banditry but also to see how states navigate the complexities of the politics, people, and power of the ‘kidnapping industry”.

Sunday PUNCH has it on record that the discussions also centered on how the region can work to foster an environment that promotes socio-economic development and food security.

Again, a security expert retired Brigadier General Sale Bala was of the view that bandits were abusing the weakness of the states they operate and hence must be dealt with decisively. He called on the political office holders to allow security operatives to do their work as mandated. They further stated the role of women in ending banditry could not be overemphasised, hence women as mothers and conflict managers must be involved in the decision-making and called on international actors to support the region with not only arms and ammunition but also intelligence-sharing support to defeat banditry.

The President, Bola Tinubu in his messages at the summit described the lingering insecurity bedeviling Nigeria, particularly the North-West of the country as inherited security compromises and historical injustices meted to the victims of conflicts. Reflecting on his inaugural speech one year ago, the President noted, “We promised to make Nigeria safer and this aim has been our topmost priority since we came to office.”

The Vice President Kashim Shettima who represented Tinubu said, “Beyond the economic rationale that drove the amalgamation of the northern and southern parts of Nigeria, the formation of our great nation was inspired by the need for mutual protection. But, I ask, how can we achieve this sacred objective if one part is afflicted? We have long established that whatever ails any part of this federation destabilises the other. So, the issue of national security in the North-West is not a sectional agenda.

“The road to redeeming the security compromises we inherited was mapped out before we embarked on this journey. We realised that achieving the peace we seek necessitates addressing the historical injustices that have torn communities apart. We must also reverse the institutional frailties governing security and the economic dysfunctions that create vulnerabilities to crime. We must also counter the ideological mischief that has pervaded the discourse of peace and security in the region.”

While highlighting the UNDP’s role in the security summit, its Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms Elsie Attafuah, explained, “The UNDP’s journey to address insecurity in the North-West region began in January 2024 with a peace and security workshop organised in collaboration with the Katsina State Government.

“This effort led to the decision to convene this high-level Peace and Security summit for the Northwest State Governments. This summit represents a crucial step in our ongoing efforts to build peace in North-West Nigeria. The UNDP’s partnership with regional governments has been instrumental in fostering dialogue and developing sustainable solutions.

“Our work in peacebuilding across the North-West has shown that lasting change is possible when we work together. This summit will further strengthen our collective resolve to create a safer environment for the people of this region,” Attafuah stated.

She also stressed that the security and peace summit initiative was a vital step towards promoting development and deepening the foundation of peace in the Northern region of Nigeria. “If Nigeria must retain the position of a giant of Africa, we must pay attention to the North-West region,” she insisted.

Meanwhile, Sunday PUNCH noted some impressed observers and commentators from the North who insisted that the event being a landmark, one and the first of its kind in the region hosted by the Katsina State Government, which incidentally had also not been spared the orgy of attacks, maiming and killings of civilians and the military, plus police personnel on active official duties by these murderous bandits, expected to see the summit truly bring together the affected governors from across the region and other key partners to address the pressing security challenges facing the area.

Before the event, some sources in the host state who unanimously spoke with Sunday PUNCH averred that the summit came at a crucial moment for the North-West as it faced mounting security challenges. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in incidents of banditry, terrorism, and communal conflicts.

To underscore the dire insecurity challenges facing the sub-region, our correspondent reports that just three days before the summit, at least seven persons were killed in a renewed bandit attack on Mai Dabino village in Danmusa Local Government Area of Katsina State. Eyewitnesses had also alleged that the hoodlums abducted an unspecified number of persons, mostly women and children, to a nearby forest in their operation that lasted about three hours.

According to an eyewitness who narrowly escaped the attack, after invading the village at about 10pm, shooting sporadically to scare the residents, the hoodlums armed with sophisticated weapons during the attack set ablaze those they killed and also burnt down several houses, shops, including motor vehicles worth millions of naira belonging to the residents.”

While confirming the attack, the Police Public Relations Officer, Katsina State Command, Abubakar Sadiq, stated, “Yes, it happened (yesterday), June 22, 2024, at about 2000 hrs, bandits in their numbers, armed with dangerous weapons, shooting sporadically, attacked Maidabino village, Danmusa LG, where they shot and killed about seven persons. Investigation is ongoing, as further developments will be communicated in due course,” he assured.

Sadly, a public commentator at the event, Musa Baba, who is familiar with the security challenges in the region, while expressing his disgust over the absence of some key governors who, according to him should have been in the lead at the summit, simply told Sunday PUNCH in the proverbial Hausa language, “Idan gemen dan’uwanka ya kama da wuta……shafa wa naka ruwa.”  This, in the English language loosely translates to mean, “If your brother’s mustache is on fire, rub your own with water.”

The visibly disappointed Musa Baba added, “The Deputy Governors of Sokoto, Kebbi, and Jigawa states, and the Secretary to the Kano State Government represented their principals at the all-important and decisive security summit? Why should only three sitting governors have attended the summit? It is very sad and it does not portray the importance other parts of the country attach to the summit.”

Further commenting on the development, Baba added, “I wonder why a governor will not attend this all-important event but chose to attend to his matters rather than attach all the importance to saving the lives of the masses who voted him to power and he governs. These politicians will never change,” he said.