News
Banditry: Self-Defence Approach By Communities Yielding Results-N’West Residents
Residents of some states in the North-West have said that governments’ approach of encouraging people to defend themselves in the fight against bandits was yielding the desired result.
In their responses to a survey, they said this bold approach, which entailed enormous sacrifice by residents, had forced bandits to soft-pedal in their nefarious activities.
According to them, the hoodlums have realised that the battle was no longer between security agents and bandits, but now involved the ‘people’ as active participants in the fight.
In Katsina, for instance, the state government said several leaders of bandit groups had reached out to the authorities, seeking for peace.
The Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Masari on Security Matters, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed, told newsmen that most of the hoodlums had envisaged a bleak future and were willing to make amends.
According to him, the approach adopted by government targeted at ‘building the courage’ of the people, had started yielding positive results, with the rate of attacks by bandits reduced.
Ahmed said success could be achieved easily through the combined efforts of the citizens, the state government and security agencies.
He said the state government had trained 1,100 highly volunteers to serve as members of community vigilante corps, and were ready to make sacrifices for their communities to survive.
According to the adviser, this is an effort to send a message to the bandits to embrace peace or face tough time.
In Sokoto, a security expert, Sqdr. Leader Aminu Bala (rtd), observed that activities of bandits had reduced slightly in the past few months, but called for the sustenance of the current military onslaught on the hoodlums.
Also, a resident of Sabon Birni in the state, Malam Laminu Umar, noted that the situation in the area had changed for better.
“The ongoing military operation in our area has helped in checking the activities of the hoodlums.
“Some of the bandits have been neutralized, while others have fled because they cannot withstand the military power; the military operation should be sustained for a long time,” he suggested.
Speaking, a resident of Rabah in Sokoto State, Alhaji Bello Dantsoho, also observed some improvement.
“They only storm remote areas, pick one or two persons and demand ransom before they release them.
“They have been subdued to the extent that they can no longer launch deadly operations frequently, as was the case in the past.
“This is unlike before when they attacked our people in numbers, killed, raped and stole belongings, including livestock,” he said.
Meanwhile, some religious leaders in Kaduna State have observed that insurgency had remained unabated in the state, but admitted that little success had been achieved.
One of the leaders who is also the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state, Rev John Hayab, said in spite of the little success recorded, the persistence of insurgency was worrisome.
Hayab observed that the number of security agents tackling the challenge was enough but stressed that what was needed was building of the people’s confidence that would encourage sharing of useful information.
According to him, many people are still reluctant to ‘say something’ whenever they ‘see something’ around their environment.
“When you have the understanding and support of all stakeholders and the public, then you have your security beefed-up enough to unravel and tackle every security challenge.
“Only then can you proudly say you are winning the war on insurgency,” he said.
In his contribution, the Acting Administrative Secretary of Jamaatul Nasril Islam (JNI), National Headquarters, Kaduna, Malam Yusuf Bida, said enhanced welfare package for security agents in the front-line, was key.
He added that concerted media engagement efforts must also be intensified to dissuade citizens from serving as informants to hoodlums.
Reacting to recent development in the state, Zamfara State Police Spokesperson, Muhammad Shehu, said the security situation had improved, adding that apprehension and fear among people had subsided drastically.
According to him, the ongoing efforts by police and other security agencies in the fight against banditry activities had been yielding results.
However, former Secretary of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Zamfara, Malam Ibrahim Kanoma, called for deployment of more security personnel to rural parts of the state.
Kanoma also appealed to government and security agencies to ensure close monitoring of security operations in the state.
A community leader in Gusau, Mr Garba Yusuf, urged government to give priority to victims of banditry activities in the state.
Yusuf lamented that thousands of such victims, mainly women and children, had been displaced from their communities due to insecurity, and were in need of intervention from government to save their lives.
In Kebbi State, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Ahmed Kontagora, said his command and sister security agencies, as well as traditional rulers, were putting heads together in confronting the lingering security challenges bedevilling the state.
He said that recently, he and his management team had paid courtesy visits on the Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Comptroller, Nigeria Correctional Service, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRS C) and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), among others.
He said the visit was meant to solicit the support and cooperation of the sister agencies in making Kebbi State safe.
The commissioner appealed to people of the state to cooperate with the police and other security agencies with a view to reducing crime to the minimum.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has commended the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State over the outcome of last Saturday’s presidential primary election that saw President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sweeping the poll with a total of 280,082 votes.
Fubara, who served as the State Collation Officer for the primary election, said that while the APC had a total of 297,068 registered members, the number of those accredited for the election was 280,082.
According to him, all those accredited for the election, cast their ballot for Tinubu, leaving Stanley Osifo, his only opponent, with no votes.
Fubara expressed delight at the peaceful and seamless process which he said was as a result of good planning by the party.
“I feel that this process has recorded one of the most organised outings of our great party in recent times. The only reason it came out this way has to do with good planning. In all, I want to say that I’m really impressed with the process.
“So, I can say here that having taken time to go through the figures diligently, I, Siminalayi Fubara, who is standing as the State Collation Officer, hereby certify that the information contained in my own spreadsheet represents the true, correct and accurate record of the summary of results from the 23 LGAs of Rivers State,” he said.
The governor said that while it was evident that President Tinubu defeated his opponent in the primary election in the State, the report would be sent to the APC headquarters in Abuja where the results will be formally declared.
The Federal Government has called for increased private sector participation and donor funding to sustain ongoing gains in the Ogoni environmental restoration project under the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project.
Speaking at a conference on donor facilitation and diplomatic support for HYPREP in Abuja, yesterday, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, stressed that the Ogoni cleanup programme was designed as a long-term intervention requiring sustained funding, technical support, and international cooperation.
“The project is supposed to be a lifespan project. We must move towards achieving its main aim, which is environmental restoration and sustainable development,” he added.
Lawal acknowledged the contributions of the United Nations Environment Programme, describing its assessment as the scientific foundation of the ongoing remediation efforts in Ogoni land.
“We are all here because of that UNEP report. It provided the scientific foundation for what has become one of the world’s most ambitious environmental remediation programmes,” he said.
According to him, hundreds of hectares of hydrocarbon-polluted land have been remediated, while additional sites are currently undergoing cleanup operations.
“We have remediated hundreds of hectares of polluted land, and more sites are still being worked on. Water schemes have also been delivered to affected communities,” he stated.
He added that ecosystem restoration, livelihood support programmes, and healthcare projects were ongoing across affected communities.
“Body health facilities are being constructed, livelihood programmes are empowering thousands, and we are also restoring access to safe drinking water because the first victim of pollution is water,” he said.
The minister also disclosed that the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration was nearing completion, describing it as a major milestone in the project.
“If you go there, you will see one of the biggest edifices being constructed under HYPREP. It will serve as a postgraduate and research institute for environmental remediation,” Lawal said.
Despite the progress, he warned that funding challenges remain a major threat to sustaining the project.
“While substantial progress has been made, the journey is not yet complete. The implementation of UNEP recommendations requires long-term commitment and sustained financial and technical support,” he said.
Lawal therefore, appealed to development partners, donor agencies, international financial institutions, foundations, and private sector players to scale up their support.
“We need your support—financial, technical, scientific, and strategic. No organisation or government can do it alone,” he said.
He further described the Ogoni cleanup as a global model for environmental recovery, climate resilience, and international cooperation.
“The restoration of Ogoni land is not merely a Nigerian undertaking; it is a global model. Its success will show what is possible when governments, communities, and partners work together,” he added.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ogoni Trust Fund, Emmanuel Deeyah, said the conference was organised to attract financial, technical, and institutional support for the cleanup exercise.
“We are looking for resources, financial support, expertise, partnership, and collaboration. Government cannot do everything alone,” he said.
Deeyah said the agitation for environmental justice in Ogoni dated back to 1991 when residents drew global attention to the environmental degradation caused by oil exploration activities.
“We farm in Ogoni land and we also fish, but our waters were polluted and the land could no longer support farming activities,” he said.
He explained that the UNEP report recommended that oil companies should contribute $1bn every five years for 30 years to support the remediation programme.
“We have done 10 years now and we have not even received the full $1bn that was supposed to be contributed. The refineries and local operators have not contributed a dime,” he stated.
Last week, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project announced the closure of 30 contaminated sites in Ogoniland, Rivers State, while investigations have commenced on 18 high-risk polluted locations in residential communities.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, yesterday paid a courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja as part of efforts to strengthen collaboration on critical infrastructure projects nationwide.
The visit, disclosed in a statement posted on X by the Nigeria Police Force, was attended by the Minister of Works, David Umahi; the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo; and directors of the ministry.
According to the statement, discussions during the meeting centred on ongoing infrastructural projects nationwide, particularly the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and other major road construction initiatives aimed at improving national development and connectivity.
The police chief reportedly reaffirmed the NPF’s commitment to providing security support for the execution of critical national infrastructure projects across the country.
“The Nigeria Police Force will continue to provide adequate security support and deploy necessary operational resources to ensure the smooth execution and protection of critical national infrastructure projects nationwide,” the statement read.
The meeting was also said to have highlighted the need for stronger inter-agency collaboration in protecting public infrastructure from vandalism and other security threats capable of disrupting construction activities.
PUNCH reports that the Federal Government had raised concerns over acts of vandalism along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway corridor, with Umahi warning that the destruction of drainage systems and road infrastructure could threaten the durability of the project.
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