Moses Ofodeme
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday vowed to decimate the rampaging bandits who killed 51 villagers in Kaduna State on Sunday.
Some gunmen on Sunday killed about 50 villagers, including infants, in three Local Government Areas of Kaduna State. The LGAs – Giwa, Birnin Gwari, and Igabi – are all in the northern axis of the state.
The bandits attacked six villages of Kerawa, Rago, Marina, Zariyawa, Hashimawa, Gidan Musa Saidu, and Unguwar Barau – within the three LGAs.
Reacting to the gruesome murder, Buhari expressed deep sadness and regret over the latest bandits attack in Kaduna State.
“From reports received, it is obvious that these bandits are unleashing their fury and frustration on innocent people because of the ongoing military and police offensive against them in the Birnin Gwari and Kaduru forests.
“This administration would not be blackmailed by criminals to abandon the current military operations against them,” Buhari said, in a statement issued by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity).
Buhari assured the people of Kaduna State and other parts of the country that this government would continue to deploy all available resources to fight these cold-hearted bandits with a view to bringing them to their knees.
“These criminals should make no mistake that they can establish a reign of terror on the people without feeling the full might of the government which was elected to protect the citizens,” he warned.
The President, while expressing profound commiserations to the victims of this heinous attack in Kaduna State, sent a strong warning to the killers: “The criminals cannot be lucky always; we are determined to frustrate and defeat them, and no matter how long they run or where they hide, they would be smoked out and brought to justice.”
Governor Nasir El-Rufai has also vowed to wipe out bandits in Kaduna state.
During a visit to some of the affected villages on Monday, Governor El-Rufai insisted that his administration will not succumb to granting the bandits amnesty.
He assured the villagers that troops of the Nigerian military will be stationed in the villages to provide adequate security.
However, the villagers told Governor El-Rufai that the bandits were believed to have come from Katsina state to attack them.
Oriental News Nigeria reports that armed gang killed at least 50 people in attacks on villages in Kaduna State on Sunday, March 1.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai lamented and condemned the incident during a visit to the affected communities on Monday.
El-Rufai said the gunmen are suspected to have come from the neighbouring states of Katsina, Zamfara and Niger Republic, adding that troops had been sent to the area.
The governor also said he would not grant amnesty to the bandit, saying there would not be any form of negotiation with the criminals terrorising the peace of the state.
He, however, assured the villagers that security operatives would be stationed in the villages; to provide adequate security and forestall further attacks.
Hundreds of people have been killed in the northwest of Nigeria since last year; in attacks the government attributes to bandits – a loose term for gangs of outlaws carrying out robberies and kidnappings.
Houses and vehicles were set ablaze by the gunmen in the Kaduna state attack.
Police spokesman Muhammed Jalige said the gunmen invaded the five villages of Hashimawa, Marina, Kerawa, Unguwan Musa and Zariyawa.
Security experts say Nigeria can ill afford more instability; as it is already struggling to contain Islamist insurgencies in the northeast; conflict in central states and militant groups in the Niger Delta to the southeast.
The death toll from violence continues to rise in Nigeria, along with incidents of kidnapping and robbery.
