By Gabriel Udeh, Kaduna
The District Head of Kufana, Kaduna State has made striking revelations about the devastating and ravaging incident of bandits and kidnapping activities in his domain and environments between 2018 to date.
The traditional ruler also lamented that he landed himself in Coronavirus problem, in trying to run round to nip it in the bud and stop terror attacks, rape, kidnapping and killings in his districts.
According to him, the climax of bandits atrocities was the free-for-all insanity and habits of chasing away men and forcefully converted their wives.
In some cases they rapped married women in presence of their husbands.
Narrating the ugly trend during an interactive session of the monthly peace Journalism forum organized by Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC) in Kaduna, the District Head of Kufana, HRH Mr Titus Daudu revealed that he had written many reports on account of banditry activities to Kaduna state government under Governor Nasir el-rufai but were all swept under the carpet.
The district head of Kufana in Kajuru Local Government Area of Southern part of Kaduna State also expressed dismayed that the military reversed after sighting the Bandits operating based, in their area, on ground that they were asked to come back after sighting them.
Also after a gory story of a kidnapped victims who was killed by abductors after heavy ransom had been paid, the district head revealed that the bandits were using their operation based where kidnapped victims where kept before ransom are bargained and paid for.
“Can you see the lives we are living now. I came on board as a district head, later the issue of Coronavirus came in. Because of my interactions I fell sick. They said it was corona. And that gave me a slight rest from what I was doing.
“It was fatigue. Sincerely I could not sleep fighting attacks and so on.
When I rested in the hospital for about two days and had enough sleep. Something came to mind, just like a film I use to watch. I now sat down in the night, it was actually at Hamdala isolation centre.
‘I said, why is the fighting between Christian and Muslim farmers and herders clash in my area. What’s the problem. I think we need to talk. I then pick my phone the following morning and call the district head of Kachia, that of Bisiri and my Chairman and told them that I’ve something in mind.
“We need to seat down and dialogue and discuss and see what’s the problem. The little I understood from what we discussed was like, that somebody came in and like caused trouble and I came in to attack other man who looks like him”, he said
“Let me open up. Some Fulanis came in their colour and dressing, “Is like the same Fulani that Kills me that leaves near me. It’s not true”.
“The Bandits that came also attacks fulanis and they attack us, but when they leaves, we took to revenge . We said no reprisal”. Let me kill this one fulani, while they’re not the one”, he relayed the discussions.
The monarch continue that, “So we were able to understand ourselves. The first meeting we had was in Kachia. We discussed and said let’s bring in army and Police to also hear our discussion. We call them plus all the Ardos. And every other Fulani that’s a leader in my place I called them. That of Bisiri and Kachia did the same thing. After the discussion the Killings stopped miraculously. Uptill now, no herders – farmers clashes at all anymore in that place”, he stated.
According to him, “Later what we had was, because, we achieve it within a short time, we’re thinking ok, let’s see what will happens with the Banditry.
“Some fulanis that accepted this people (bandits) are now paying the prize, even though they do not see then with money, if they catch, they may get at least N2,000 – N40,000, they’ve now seen a lucrative business carrying the cow.
“I tell you, in the past two weeks or thereabout, i was called that more than 100 cow were rustled from kasuam magaini axis alone. Why they were calling, somebody call me again and said “Hakimi”, I saw cow running and crossing an area, and all were going towards Kasio, because we have a borderline with Chikun LG in that axis.
“So after the herders -farmer clashes, became a story, and the issue of religious crisis also become a story, because we don’t do that again, we’re now faced with the Banditry”, he said.
“Banditry is now what we’ve been praying government and called on them to help us.
“I had information of the areas they’re attacking. There’re some villages that are no more there now. Villages where they’ve more than five hundred (500) people, but they’re no more existing.
“They include Kajuru Duse, kasio, a big village. Bandits will go and chase a man out of his house carry his wife and do what they want to do with her in the house, you cannot do say anything”, he added.
Monarch Daudu however said they still have some problems in there area. “But the problem we’ve is this, I was telling somebody, is lack of tools.
“I’m a retiree from NNPC, in the maintenance department. Then, I used to help myself. That’s any tool government cannot purchase for me, I buy it just to make sure to do that job and do it well.
“If our Ministry, what they’ve, is not capable or cannot be useful enough for the people to get what they want, let them ask for a better one, ok?
“But again we’ve those that were rescued from Kidnappers or ran away, or able to run away, they’ll give us information. Like some interview we had, not too long, I called the DSS, we discovered that Fulani women–You know, are not like Southern Kaduna women.
“They’re very smart. A fulani woman was able to escape from Kidnappers with her son. When she came I went to hospital to see them and made my little donation, she was telling me, Hakimi, this people are many and have something to use to fight for themselves.
“After that meeting, we came back with DSS and Chairman, and ask them what we do? We all agreed because what we’re facing, kauru too is also facing much more harder because they saw a safe heaven in our place, because they’ll go and get the people they want to get and come down to our area and get ransom.
“Kauru came up and say no, let’s get our boys to also agree to follow them and we all agreed. They disturb them one day, the following day they left that place because of the disturbance, and are now around kasio side again.
“Even when they were leaving, some people who were kidnapped also escaped from the very axis. More than 10 of them. Those people who escaped will tell you that the bandits have the capability to fight anybody.
“Because they were telling us that, if you’re coming from far they’ll see you with a gargets and track you down”, he stated.
Why he expressed doubt if Nigeria Military have enough to match them, HRH added “Why I said if our military cannot subdue them let them speak out is because they know what they’ll get to subdue those bandits better than we.
“This people, maybe, went into the bush one day, they saw or they were seeing the bandits, but they were called that they should come back. So what are they telling us. If they’re not capable, let them tell us.
Sincerely, that day they (army) went with about 7 trucks and came back without doing anything. You can now see that we’re left with our technics to be able to leave or not to leave. Ok?.
“When the bandits discovered that people are disturbing there, they went to attack ldion General Hospital, and just for one thing – that they want to get medicine and those who will help them.
Of course, they pack some medicine. They also went always with Nurses to treat their people because of disturbances between Kauru and also that of kufana youths.
And story is like, that the Nurses are still in the bush uptil now.
“Of course I asked for time so that I’ll cut the long story shut because what I see will interest us. But, if you seat down with me, asks me, I came in 2018, as a district head, I’ve alot of documents, cataloging. I wrote many reports to the government.
“In fact, there was a day the local government chairman said if everybody can keep record like me, that things will go well.
“But we are writing, what are we achieving. Because you always talk and talk but there’s no impact. That’s why I said this thing, that if the military are not capable, let them tell us. Tell everybody, that this is what we have or we need somebody to come and assist us.
“So far, this is what I’ve and think so well so good. We are here, if the military can go freely because this a bush, that’s from one end, from our own end at Kufana to Abuja road is over 50 kilometers and is bush entirely completely.
“So you need to know the terrain to go in and come out, and you need to have the man power you’ll be able to chase them”, he explained.
