But Bandit-terrorists Turned Northern States into Killing Grounds
By Ezinwanne Onwuka
By weeks’ end, Nigeria’s embattled schools again found themselves in militants’ crosshairs, but Security forces and local volunteer guards foiled kidnapping attempts in the nick of time in Borno State and Kogi State.
Nevertheless, terrorist-bandits killed at least 17 civilians in northern Nigeria from July 12 to July 19 —13 in Sokoto’s Sabon Birni, two in Kwaren Gamba, a vigilante leader in Katsina’s Gora and a local guard in Plateau’s Riyom.
A Narrow Escape from Mass School Abduction
At 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 18, terrified students at a government girls’ school in northeastern Nigeria awoke to the sound of gunfire.
Armed fighters linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) had infiltrated the Federal Government Girls College in Monguno, Borno State. The military said it was an attempt to carry out a mass abduction.
The school is currently serving as temporary accommodation for students of the Federal Polytechnic, Monguno.
Within minutes, soldiers and police officers engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle. The militants fled without abducting a single student, and security forces evacuated 46 students to safety.
But the victory came at a cost. Military authorities said several students were killed after being struck by the terrorists’ indiscriminate gunfire during the exchange.
Yet, the Federal Ministry of Education disputed the military’s version of events. The ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Mrs. Folasade Boriowo, said its independent verification found the school safe and described reports of students being killed as unfounded.
The attempted kidnapping was one of several violent incidents that unfolded across Nigeria over the past week. Schools, despite years of government promises to make them safe through the Safe School Initiative, remain among the most vulnerable targets.
From Kidnapping to Rescue
Just four days earlier, on Tuesday, July 14, gunmen stormed Government Secondary School in Olowa, Kogi State, while final-year students were taking the National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations.
The attackers kidnapped the school principal, a NECO official and four students. One student was rescued shortly afterward.
This time, however, the story ended differently.
Rather than prolonged negotiations or ransom payments, a coordinated operation involving the Nigerian Army, police, intelligence officers and local vigilantes forced the kidnappers to abandon their captives deep in the forest.
Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications Kingsley Fanwo said Governor Usman Ododo directed the state’s security adviser, retired Commander Jerry Omodara, to coordinate the joint operation.
By Thursday, July 16, all five remaining victims had been rescued alive.
The Killing Fields of the Northwest
Away from the schools, violence continued to spread across rural communities in Nigeria’s lawless Northwest.
In northwest Sokoto state, bandits struck Gasalodi and Tungar Barke villages in Tambuwal county (Local Government Area) on Wednesday, July 15, targeting families who had only just returned home after fleeing earlier attacks.
Residents had been living as internally displaced persons in nearby Jabo town. Barely a day after resettling, armed men returned, abducting about 20 people and rustling livestock, forcing survivors to flee once again.
One resident told Daily Trust the attackers had warned villagers not to come back. “They told the villagers (the bandit-terrorists) would come back if they returned, and that is exactly what happened,” he said.
Also on Tuesday, July 14, a soldier was killed after terrorists ambushed a military patrol near Zurmuku village in Tangaza county of Sokoto state. Troops from the Forward Operating Base in Raka fought off the attackers, but the soldier later died from gunshot wounds.
The bloodshed intensified in neighboring Sabon Birni county (Local Government Area) of Sokoto State between Thursday evening, July 16, and Friday morning, July 17, when suspected bandit-terrorists, suspected to be loyal to notorious leader Bello Turji, killed at least 13 people.
Six residents were killed in Mazau village, four more—including two women—in Turtsawa, while three farmers were ambushed and killed in Tsamaye as they headed to their fields on Friday morning.
Residents said security forces and local vigilantes successfully repelled an attempted attack on Unguwan Lalle on Thursday evening after hours of fighting. Unable to overrun the community, the attackers shifted their assault to nearby villages.
A community leader in Sokoto State said the latest killings followed the abduction of three farmers in Fadaman Sabon Birni on Wednesday, July 15.
The attacks continued into the weekend. At about 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, July 19, bandits raided Kwaren Gamba community, killing two residents, injuring three others and abducting five.
The overnight assault caught residents off guard, sending many fleeing into the surrounding bush in search of safety.
In Katsina State, bandits attacked Gora village in Malumfashi county, killing the community’s vigilante leader, Alhaji Nuhu Barau.
His death sparked angry protests as residents blocked the Malumfashi-Katsina highway for about four hours before police and soldiers restored order.
Attacks in the Middle Belt
The terrorist violence also reached the Middle Belt.
In Plateau State, two separate attacks unfolded on the night of Tuesday, July 14. A local guard was killed while guarding his village in Riyom county, while a vigilante member was shot during another attack in neighboring Bassa.
A day earlier, Monday, July 13, Fulani militia attacked the Ondo Ugboju community in Otukpo county of Benue State, killing one resident and injuring several others.
The assault came less than 48 hours after at least 16 people were killed in the Akpachi and Otukpo-Nobi communities in the same county on Sunday, July 12, as reported by TruthNigeria last week.
Bandits Meet Resistance in Northwest State
Even as attacks mounted, security forces recorded isolated successes.
In northwest Kebbi State, a joint team of police officers and local vigilantes (community guards) killed four bandits after they attacked a community and rustled livestock. The operation, carried out on Sunday, July 12, also claimed the life of a vigilante member, while a police officer was wounded.
Ezinwanne Onwuka is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
