IN DETAIL: Three Kaduna residents were killed every day in 2020

Three residents of Kaduna state were killed every day in the three hundred and sixty-five days that made up the year 2020, representing a total of 937 persons killed by bandits and other violent groups in the state. 

On July 20, 2020, in Kukum-Daji village in Kaura local government area of Kaduna state, after having attended a wedding during the day, some youths decided to continue the celebrations into the night. They had no inkling of what was about to happen. At around 10pm, gunmen stormed the venue, opening fire on the youths, and killing 16 on the spot. 

Two months later on September 12, 2020, a family of 21 were on their way to the farm in Udawa village in Chikun LGA which was about one and a half kilometers away from their home, when they were suddenly attacked by gunmen. Seventeen of them were kidnapped, while four managed to escape, but not without sustaining injuries.

As terrible as these reports may seem, they are only a small fraction of all the banditry, kidnapping, and cases of that were recorded in Kaduna in 2020.

Quick points from Kaduna:

• Every LGA recorded at least one person killed
• Every LGA recorded at least one kidnap.
• Nine LGA had no case of animal rustling.
• Giwa, Igabi, Birnin Gwari – in that order – had the highest total number of incidents.
• All local government areas in the state were affected.
• The highest number of persons killed in any LGA was 152, from Igabi LGA
• The highest number of persons kidnapped in any LGA was 519, from Birnin Gwari LGA
• The highest number of animals rustled in any LGA was 2,109 from Giwa LGA

KADUNA SECURITY WINS

Samuel Aruwan, the state commissioner of internal security and home affairs, unveiled these figures at the presentation of the 2020 Annual Security Report earlier in the month.

The report, also showed that on average, at least six Kaduna residents were kidnapped every day in 2020, representing a total of 1,972 persons kidnapped in the state.

Kaduna, in recent years, has been among the states in the northern part of the country badly affected by banditry, kidnappings, communal clashes and other violent crimes. To combat this, Nasir el-Rufai, governor of the state, set up the ministry of internal security and home affairs in 2019.

The ministry is to serve as a bridge between federal security agencies and their state counterparts, all with a singular goal of protecting lives and property.  Part of the ministry’s assignment is to gather intelligence that helps pre-empt crime and curb the same.

Based on the 2020 report, the state can easily predict the likelihood of fresh attacks in Giwa or Igabi LGAs. Early March, bandits attacked a school in Igabi LGA, but based on this fore-knowledge, the state was able to swing into action in the region and rescue 172 students. It also foiled an attack on the Turkish International Secondary School.

Aside killings and kidnappings, cattle rustling is another violent crime that gained a high rate of occurrence in the state, with 7,195 head of cattle rustled in the state in 2020.

IN 12 LGAS, YOU’D LIKE GET KILLED THAN KIDNAPPED

The total number of persons kidnapped in the state is more than the number of those killed, but residents of 12 LGAs were more likely to be killed than kidnapped.

This is because in comparing the number of those killed to those kidnapped in each local government area, 12 out of 23 LGAs had a higher number of killings to kidnaps.

Five LGAs in the state recorded the killings of over 100 persons each in 2020.  Igabi LGA recorded the highest killings by bandits and other armed groups with 152 persons, followed by Kajuru with 144 deaths, Birnin Gwari with 122, Chikun with 120 and Zangon Kataf with 114.

Killings in other LGAs include: Giwa (74), Kachia (57), Jema’a (30), Kaura (29), Kauru (28), Kagarko (14), Sanga (12), Lere (9), Soba (7), Kubau (5), Ikara (4), Sabon Gari (4), Kaduna North (3), Zaria (2), Jaba (2), Makarfi (2), Kaduna South (2) and Kudan (1).

KADUNA CENTRAL – EPICENTER OF BANDITRY

The state is divided into three senatorial districts – north, south and central. Out of these districts, Kaduna central senatorial district, which has seven LGAs – Igabi, Birnin Gwari, Kajuru, Giwa, Kaduna north and Kaduna south – was the epicenter of the 2020 killings in the state.

Kaduna central accounted for 66 percent of the total number of persons killed in the state in 2020, representing 617 deaths. 

Surprisingly, Kaduna south senatorial district, which has eight LGAs -Sanga, Kachia, Kaura, Zangon Kataf, Jema’a, Jaba, Kagarko and Kauru – including the southern Kaduna communities accounted for 31 percent of the total killings in the state in 2020, representing 286 deaths. 

While Kaduna north senatorial district, which also has eight LGAs, appeared to be the most peaceful district in the state in 2020, as it accounted for a low point of four percent of the total number of persons killed in the state in 2020, representing 34 deaths. 

HOW DID SOUTHERN KADUNA FARE IN 2020? 

In 2020, southern Kaduna made the headlines nationally and internationally, owing to the gruesome killings and maiming of residents in the area, especially women and men.

Southern Kaduna witnessed a series of attacks from bandits, communal clashes, and reprisal attacks in 2020. At some point, #PrayForSouthernKaduna was created on social media, especially the microblogging platform, Twitter, to highlight the ordeals of residents of southern Kaduna.

TheCable had published an investigative report that chronicled the bloody violence that raged through southern Kaduna — displacing, disabling and devastating women and children. 

Southern Kaduna has five LGAs – Sanga, Kachia, Kaura, Zangon Kataf and Jema’a. How did they fare, based on the report under review? 

Surprisingly, southern Kaduna accounted for 26 percent of those killed in Kaduna state in 2020, 15 percent of those kidnapped in the state, while 15 percent of the animals rustled in the state

KADUNA-ABUJA HIGHWAY – HOTBED OF KIDNAPPING 

Another area of the state that made the headlines in 2020 was the Kaduna-Abuja highway, which became prominent for kidnapping.

Several news reports on the kidnapping along the Kaduna-Abuja highway were reported in the media. A development that made many Nigerians, especially those who had the resources, to seek alternatives like traveling by air or using train, to avoid being kidnapped. 

According to the report, 274 persons were kidnapped along the Kaduna-Abuja highway, which accounted for the most people kidnapped in Kachia and Kagarko LGAs.

However, it was noted in the report that some of the kidnapping cases may be unreported by the families of the victims, due to the fear of the kidnappers. 

CATTLE RUSTLING AND REPRISAL ATTACKS 

An analysis of the report showed that there might be a relationship between cattle rustling and incidences of violent attacks. Those who had suffered the loss of animals may have the tendency to launch violent attacks on others who they suspected to have carried out the loot of their animals, likewise the rate of cattle rustling may have been a fertile ground for more violent attacks.

For Instance, Igabi LGA witnessed the highest number of killings, kidnappings and animals rustled in the state. Igabi is the most violent region in Kaduna with a report of 152 persons killed, 411 kidnapped and 1,536 head of cattle rustled. 

Kaduna central senatorial district recorded over 50 percent of the total number of violent crimes in the state with a total number of 617 persons killed, 1561 kidnapped and 5614 head of cattle rustled. 

EFFORTS MADE BY THE STATE GOVT AND SECURITY AGENCIES

The state government said it collaborated with security agencies in 2020 to carry out the following activities to minimise the incidences, but not limited to: 

• Operation whirl punch
• Operation Bada Mamaki of the Nigerian Air Force 
• Operation thunder strike 
• Operation puff adder
• NAF special forces stationed at Kafanchan 

The report noted that “institutional failure to dispense justice has also bred an attitude of impunity by perpetrators and inclined some communities and individuals to take law into their own hands.”

The government led by Nasir el-Rufai has said it is working on correcting those failures across the entire state and improving the livelihood of residents.

This report was put together by Ayodele Oluwafemi, Jesupemi Are, and Wasilat Azeez.