By Mike Odeh James and Segun Onibiyo
(Kaduna) Losing ground in Katsina State, large gangs of bandit-terrorists are punishing a string of Hausa rural towns that stood up to them. The recent attacks were carried out on June 12, 2024.
Sani Maharazu, the chief of Gidan Boka village, explained that Fulani gangs are attacking Hausa communities in Katsina. (The Fulani tribe and the Hausa tribe are two of the largest tribes in Nigeria and are dominant in most northern states.)
These gangs were previously in Zamfara and Kaduna States, but persistent air bombardments and ground assaults by the Nigerian military forced them to flee to Katsina State. Now, they are trying to take over Hausa lands in five communities in Kankara County (Local Governance Area) in the westcentral area of the state bordering Zamfara State.
Why Terrorists Struck
Residents of the five targeted towns had stood up to the kidnapping gangs demanding that local people bow to them, according to Maharazu. “Particularly on Dan Kwabo and Yargoje, attacks followed from villagers refusing to stand by idly when terrorist groups attacked their communities,” Maharazu said to TruthNigeria.
“Like I told you once, our youths have been resisting the terrorists and repelling their attacks on our settlements. That’s why they came in greater numbers,” Maharazu said.
The terrorists’ motive is not to steal or demand food, but to punish the communities for resisting them, according to Maharazu. This shows a shift in the terrorists’ strategy, as they seek to assert their power and control over the region.
“The terrorists, who are all Fulanis, were surprised at the way which we have resisted them, and so, in order to control our communities, they are launching all these devastating attacks,” Maharazu said.
“The Katsina Community Protection Guard has been actively arresting suspected terrorists and handing them over to the Army,” Maharazu further explained. This has made the terrorists unhappy, leading them to target the security outfit and the military.
According to Maharazu, the attacks began around 3 p.m. and claimed the lives of more than 50 innocent residents, with many more injured and displaced. The first attack targeted Yargoje, a village with over 500-1000 inhabitants, where 11 people were killed by attackers on motorcycles. In Gidan Boka, a village of 500, saw 15 residents killed, and two others critically wounded. The terrorists also ambushed a police patrol team, killing four policemen and two members of the Katsina Community Watch Corps.
In Dan Nakwabo, five farmers were killed while working on their fields, according to Premium Times of June 12, 2024. The terrorists deliberately targeted them, showing a callous disregard for human life.
“We were working on our farms when they attacked us,” a survivor said, tears streaming down his face. “They showed no mercy.”
The terrorists continued their rampage in Katsalle, killing seven people, and in Dan Maidaki, where 15 residents lost their lives. The attacks were marked by brutality, with homes and properties burned to the ground. “We are left with nothing,” a resident lamented. “Our homes, our livelihoods – everything is gone.”
Why So Much Criminality in Katsina?
Governor Dikko Radda told Channels TV crew on June 10, 2024, that terrorists have more than 100 camps in Katsina and can recruit unemployed youths into their fold with as little as 500 Nigerian Naira, or 0.3 dollars (USD).
Recent terrorist attacks in Katsina State have resulted in the killing of an army officer and the kidnapping of 80 innocent men, women and children, and widespread destruction.
On Feb. 2, 2024 more than 60 women were abducted and taken to a forest in Danmusa, as TruthNigeria reported, with no further news of their fate.
Retired Navy Captain Umar Bakori, President of the Vigilant Group of Nigeria, argues that the security challenges in Katsina are due to a lack of manpower. “Recently, the Nigerian Army upgraded the troops stationed along those axes to a brigade level, which means over 1000 men. However, the influx of terrorists from Zamfara and Kaduna into Kankara has overwhelmed the soldiers on the ground.”
The military needs to recruit more soldiers and conduct joint patrols with the Nigerian Vigilant Group to effectively combat insecurity, according to Bakori. He also criticized state governors who failed to establish properly trained state police forces but instead set up security outfits that lack expertise in combating terrorism.
“After collecting billions of Nigerian Naira, the Governor of Katsina bypassed the well-trained personnel of the Vigilant Group and set up an outfit that lacks skill in fighting terrorists or terrorism,” Bakori said, adding, “I am sure what he is paying the members of his security outfit is not much, making them susceptible to bribes from terrorists or bandits, which is also corruption.”
The vast Rugu Forest, more than 100 miles long, is a force multiplier for the killer gangs, according to Bakori. “The 220 km-long Rugu Forest, stretching from the border with Niger Republic to the southwestern counties of the state, has become a haven for terrorists. Kankara county is within that area as well,” he said. Rugu Forest is the hub and hideout of most terrorists fleeing military onslaught in Zamfara and Kaduna states.
“If you want to get rid of terrorists in Katsina, you have to deploy a massive force around all counties of Katsina, which have borders with forests that terrorists use as hideouts.” Bakori said.
The Nigerian military could have and should have spotted or detected the attacks before it happened, according to Abdul Bako Usman, a human-rights activist based in Kaduna.
“I am sure, the attackers may be up to 500 bikers who are armed with Ak 49s. how come the military with all the helicopters and drones couldn’t intercept or detect them?”, asked Usman.
“This is a major intelligence failure on the part of the military and intelligence agencies,” he said.
While agreeing with the governor that poverty is a major factor fueling terrorism, Bako Usman noted that terrorists are really turning Katsina into a killing field.
“People now see terrorism as a big business where you kidnap and get ransoms running into millions of naira. The only solution is for the Federal Government to muster the political will and totally eliminate these terrorists with the use of sheer force,” Usman told TruthNigeria.
Katsina Police React
The Katsina State Police Command has launched an intense manhunt for the terrorists responsible for the recent deadly attacks. In response to the brutal killings, the police have vowed to apprehend the perpetrators. According to Police Public Relations Officer Abubakar Aliyu, “We are working tirelessly to ensure the attackers are brought to justice. While no arrests have been made yet, we are following every lead and will continue to pursue all avenues until those responsible are caught, no matter how long it takes.”
Mike Odeh James and Segun Onibiyo are conflict reporters for TruthNigeria.
