Terrorists have increased their violent campaigns in Kaduna, Niger, Kwara, Kano and Sokoto states, rustling livestock, abducting locals and displacing them.
The displacement is more worrisome in Kwara and Niger where a mix of covert insurgency and banditry has lingered for a long time.
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This renewed violence has further put to test the effectiveness of counterterrorism efforts under the leadership of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
Mr Ribadu’s leadership, coupled with interagency cooperation, including state-backed negotiations with bandits, had restored peace to some communities.
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While counterterrorism efforts have resulted in successful operations that targeted terror cells and leaders, peace pacts in places like Kaduna have sketchily worked.
Peace regressing in Kaduna
A lopsided peace pact is creating an atmosphere of continuous violence in Kaduna.
On 24 August, bandits killed seven people in Unguwar Kamaru, Chawai Chiefdom of Kauru Local Government Area, according to Edward Pama, a resident of a neighbouring community in Zangon Kataf.
Mr Pama, who disclosed this on his Facebook handle, added that several other people were receiving treatment in the hospital.
Mansir Hassan, the police spokesperson in Kaduna, could not be immediately reached to confirm the Kauru incident. An SMS sent to him had not been responded to as of press time.
In separate incidents in Birnin Gwari LGA, about seven people were also killed last week, raising concerns about the effectiveness of what experts referred to as the Birnin Gwari Model, a peace pact between the Kaduna State Government and bandits terrorising the area.
Condemning the displacement, killing, maiming and kidnapping in Kauru, Kaura, Kachia, Sanga, and sometimes Zangon Kataf, Mr Pama, in an open letter to Governor Uba Sani, accused the government of underreporting security incidents.
“There is an urgent need for the government to stop the propaganda and become more transparent, responsive and responsible in the security management of the state,” Mr Pama wrote in the letter dated 25 August.
“Underreporting security breaches should not be celebrated as an improvement in the security situation of the state.”
He also urged that if negotiations with bandits were ongoing in parts of Kaduna, the same should be extended to Southern Kaduna, where residents face repeated killings, kidnappings, and displacement.
Niger: Hours-long raid in Mariga
In Niger State where Governor Umar Bago claimed to be free of displaced persons, armed men attacked communities in Mariga Local Government Area over the weekend, stealing cattle, abducting children who were fishing, and shooting dead a farmer near Dusai village.
Survivors from Ragada and Mazami said they fled to Gulbin-Boka, some trekking nearly 20 kilometres.
A displaced woman, Larai, recounted crossing a river with her children in a canoe and surviving on just N800 worth of food. Some children narrowly escaped drowning while fleeing.
Authorities confirmed the incident to Daily Trust, saying security forces have since stabilised the area, though casualty figures remain unclear.
Kwara villages emptied by terror raids
Similar attacks in Patigi and Ifelodun LGAs of Kwara State have forced thousands to flee.
Communities such as Ndanaku are nearly deserted following sustained raids and abductions. Farming activities have halted, and ransom demands have escalated, according to locals.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that several villages in Patigi and some parts of Lafiagi have been devastated by terror raids. Although soldiers are stationed in Patigi town, they have not been deployed to rural flashpoints.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq met with local authorities in Ifelodun on Monday, pledging stronger collaboration with federal security agencies.
It was reported that a joint operation involving soldiers, vigilantes, and air assets neutralised several terrorists around Baba Sango and Oro River in Ifelodun. No casualties were reported among security personnel.
Daytime abduction rises alarm in Kano
In Kano State, bandits abducted a man, identified as Aminu Abdullahi, from his home in Zawachiki Quarters, Kumbotso LGA, on Saturday morning.
According to a report by Daily Post, police said they received information about the abduction on Sunday morning, nearly 24 hours later.
The divisional police officer in the area led a patrol to the scene, while the victim’s son, described as the only witness, has given a statement.
In Sokoto, our reporter gathered that bandits invaded Rimawa, Goronyo LGA, rustling cattle and kidnapping scores. The police spokesperson in Sokoto, Ahmad Rufai, has yet to respond to an inquiry into the incident.
READ ALSO: Terror kingpin kills three of his ‘fighters’ in Imo
A widening crisis
The security situation across the five states shows a deteriorating pattern of insecurity marked by mass killings, displacement and daytime violence mostly enabled by limited or delayed security response.
While federal and state authorities continue to launch joint operations, residents in the affected states continue to witness violence.
Experts and government officials have noted that the war against banditry and insurgency cannot be won by guns alone.
They noted that “non-kinetic” approaches need to be explored to dismantle recruitment drives and radicalisation of locals by terror groups.
Concerns have also emerged about the inadequate justice system, especially against the Fulanis who many terror groups exploit their grievances to perpetuate mayhem.
Other factors such as unemployment, weak border security and inefficient forest protection have been identified as major drivers of the instability in the country.
The government has taken some of these factors into consideration with the recent creation of forest guards and other policies aimed at preventing herders-farmers conflict.
