Before terrorists form a parallel government in Kaduna

Sadly, Kaduna state is gradually turning into an epicentre of banditry and terrorism in the north-west. Last week Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in a memo to President Muhammadu Buhari raised the alarm that terrorists are consolidating their grip on communities in Kaduna with a “parallel” government and “permanent operational base”.

He said the terrorists have advanced in their plans to make Kaduna forest areas their “permanent operational base” for the north-west region, citing a “series of intelligence reports”.

“Observed movement patterns and intercepted communications of migrating terrorists have shown a clear interest in setting up a base, with the stretches of forest area between Kaduna and Niger states strongly considered,” he wrote.

Indeed, this is not the first time the governor will be raising an alarm. Recall that he had previously warned the Nigeria Railway Cooperation to stop the 6pm train and was ignored till terrorists attacked the train killing 8 persons and kidnapping over 50 persons.

I also recall that the Ansaru terrorist group had banned political activities in the Birnin Gwari axis in Kaduna. According to Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives’ Union (BEPU), the Ansaru group has also camps in seven political wards in the eastern part of the local government area.

BEPU chairman, Ishaq Kasai, also said that the militants usually beat up anybody found with posters of any political parties.

I also recall that the terrorist group had banned western education in the Birnin Gwari area.

Instructively according to the SBM Intelligence report, in 2021, bandits killed 1,192 people in the state and kidnapped 3,348 others.

Deaths from insecurity in the state in 2020 were three times higher than those recorded in the north-east states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, which are battling terrorism.

Similarly, a security report by the state government has revealed armed bandits killed at least 360 persons in the first quarter of 2022 (January – March) in Kaduna state.

Among the local government areas worst hit were Birnin Gwari, where 169 persons were kidnapped, Giwa 158, Igabi 263, Chikun 287, and Kajuru 203.

It is safe to surmise that Birnin Gwari has become an epicentre of killings in Kaduna.

It’s a dire situation and the governor needs all the help he can get. Under no circumstances should the federal government allow terrorists to set up another camp in the north-west.

No doubt, El-Rufai is one of the best governors the state has produced and one of the best in the country since the dawn of democracy in 1999 but the worsening insecurity in the state is threatening to derail his legacy.

Indeed, the state governor is not in charge of the security agencies but the insecurity is harming his legacy. He has consistently raised the alarm and even suggested carpet bombing the forest to wipe out the terrorists. The terrorists are gradually moving from the north-east to the north-west.

Regrettably, the north-east and the country have not recovered from the decade-long insurgency. According to reports, in the last 12 years since Boko Haram chose the path of bloodbath, over 100,000 Nigerians have been killed while over 2.5 million have been displaced. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have
also disclosed that the number of displaced children in the Boko Haram-ravaged north-east region is 1.4 million.

Also, the federal government, United Nations, European Union, and World Bank agree that an estimated $9 billion would be required for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure in the six north-east states of Adamawa, Bauchi, and Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe.

The north-west is generally known as the commercial nerve centre of the north and another insurgency will spell doom for the north. This must not be allowed to happen. The terrorists should be dislodged from Birni Gwari with immediate effect.

It is gratifying to note that for the past week or two, the military has been giving the terrorists a bloody nose. I have never for once doubted the ability and capacity of the military to defeat the terrorists. The problem was the huge amount of deviant elements in our security forces who are colluding with the terrorists.

I pray and hope that the military will sustain this momentum for a month or two. To avoid the terrorists moving into other states, there should be simultaneous operations in the troubled states. This is a war that must be won.