Insecurity: Bandits feed our babies to their dogs — Zamfara Lawmaker

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor, Gift Odekina & Esther Onyegbula

ABUJA — A member of the House of Representatives from Zamfara State, Aminu Jaji, has decried the “terrifying insecurity” in his constituency, narrating how “bandits fed newborn twins to their dogs.”

He painted a harrowing picture of “how bandits attacked, committed mass kidnapping, their crass lawlessness,” which have left the communities in his constituency devastated and many residents displaced.

This came as the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, expressed concern over the current insecurity in the country, blaming the situation on the spillover effects from the Sahel region, particularly Sudan and Niger.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Christopher Musa, said that the military is more determined than ever to go after all terrorists to restore peace and stability in the country.

Jaji, who previously chaired the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, said, “Over 200 attacks have been recorded in communities across Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State alone, including Dayo, Banga, Gabaki, Korea and Madura.”

The lawmaker, who was briefing newsmen at the National Assembly, said: “Just two days ago, 60 people were abducted in Banga. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of N30 million. Out of those abducted, 10 were killed, and the fate of the remaining 50 hang in the balance.”

The lawmaker lamented that while leaders often make lofty promises, little is done in practice.

“We gave assurances that if our party came to power, insecurity will become history. Unfortunately, the reality today is different,” he said, adding, “Many communities have been turned into ghost towns due to persistent attacks.

He narrated chilling incidents, including one: “A pregnant woman was abducted. She gave birth to twins while she was in captivity. Then the leader of the bandits took the twins, and threw them to his dog. The dogs ate the twins one by one. Where are we?

“This is situation we need to urgently address. We need to speak to ourselves. I said earlier, whether it is micro or macro operation, something must be done.

“These are not just stories. These are the everyday realities of our people. Our people are no longer safe, they cannot farm, they cannot trade, and many are internally-displaced, unrecognized by both the state and federal governments,” he said.

The lawmaker lamented lack of federal attention, noting that despite engaging the Ministry of Defence and other security stakeholders, there has been no significant response or action on the ground, adding that Zamfara that was once one of the most peaceful states in the country, has become a hotspot for criminal activities.

“Despite the introduction of Sharia and peaceful co-existence between Muslims and Christians in the past, we are now ravaged by violence,” he said.

He stressed that the people of Zamfara deserve the same protection and support as any other region, especially considering the contributions made by the state to the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 elections.

“This is not about politics anymore. It’s about human lives. The 1999 Constitution, as amended, states clearly that the protection of lives and property is the primary responsibility of government,” he said.

The lawmaker urged the President and all relevant stakeholders to act urgently, warning that if insecurity in Zamfara is left unchecked, it could spread further and consume the entire nation.

“People cry to us for help. They come in tears. They didn’t want to leave because they have nowhere to go, they are now moving because they have no other choice,” he said.

He urged leaders across political and religious divides to come together for a holistic and unified response to the insecurity, stating, “We must rise above politics. We must respond as people of faith and conscience. This is a national emergency.”

Nigeria’s ‘worrisome’ insecurity spill from Sudan, Niger — UK envoy

Briefing journalists at his residence in Abuja, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, attributed the situation to spill overs from Sudan and Niger.

The envoy however, said that the UK government is working with the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, in Nigeria to reverse the situation by investing in security infrastructure to reduce it.

The High Commissioner said: “The issue of insecurity is still there and it is worrisome. But we are working very closely with the Office of the National Security Adviser in Nigeria to offer help in this area.

“The problem of insecurity in Nigeria is complicated by the fact that it is a spillover from the crisis in the Sahel region, particularly in Sudan and Niger,” the diplomat said but did not say how they intend to tackle it.

The diplomat also raised concerns over cases of visa fraud in the country, pointing out that the situation is responsible for the recent cases of visa rejections.

The envoy urged Nigerian visa applicants to always provide the right supporting documents when applying for UK visa to enhance their chances of securing their travel documents.

The envoy stated the country’s commitment to promoting the areas of interest highlighted in the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership, ETIP, between Nigeria and the UK.

Montgomery also reviewed Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape and affirmed that the country’s robust economic reforms have opened the path for more investments, economic growth and development.

The High Commissioner pointed out in particular that under the current reforms being spearheaded by the Tinubu administration, the Nigerian economy has recorded more revenue and reduced financial deficits and paved the way for more investors to come and invest in the country.

Montgomery said: “The reforms are making Nigerian more investable. We agree with the World Bank Report recently released that the Naira is now more stable and foreign exchange predictability enhances business and investments. Again, foreign reserves are going up and that makes Nigeria less risky for investment.

“Inflation is still high at around 20 per cent, and it will take some time to come down. There is a big increase in government revenue and the abolition of fuel subsidy has brought more money for Nigeria. It is almost 90 per cent of revenue. The growth rate has risen. These reforms are working and they are making Nigeria more investable,” the High Commissioner stated.

Military more determined than ever to go after terrorists — CDS

The CDS gave the assurance at the Defence Headquarters Psychological Operations Workshop with the theme “Defence Headquarters Influence Operations: Optimising Psychological Operations for Efficiency in a Joint Environment” yesterday in Abuja.

He said the prevalent threats in Nigeria’s internal security landscape would not be tackled through kinetic operations alone, due largely to the continuous mutation in the nature and character of the threats.

“This situation, therefore, presumes that the threat has since gone beyond purely traditional military actions but requires a combination of robust and well-coordinated non-kinetic efforts by all the stakeholders to support our kinetic actions.

“From the kinetic perspective, troops have continued to deny insurgents/terrorists freedom of action despite isolated attacks on troops’ locations.

“With the recent changes in some of the commands in the theatres, we expect new strategies to further destroy the capacities of the terrorists to attack troops’ locations and isolated communities.

“We are more than ever determined to go after all the non-state actors to restore peace and stability in the country.
“In the same vein, we need non-kinetic activities, particularly psychological operations, to shape the environment in favour of the ultimate aim of all on-going operations,” he said.

Also, Director-General, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, Dr. Mohammed Bulama urged the military and other security agencies to find ways to end killings in the country and restore peace.

Bulama said: “In as much as I am aware that such security threats are usually difficult to tackle, I have never doubted the capabilities of the Nigerian armed forces and all government security and intelligence agencies in eradicating these security challenges.

“This is evident in the successes that have been recorded so far in the various theatres of operations across the country.
“In recent times, however, the news of insecurity within the nation’s internal security landscape has made headlines in most of our print and electronic media outlets, especially the social media.

“I must therefore observe that the armed forces has done and is still doing a lot to stem the rising insecurity across the country, despite its limited resources,” he said.