The Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan has announced that bandits had killed no fewer than 343 and abducted 830 persons, just as 210 persons were injured, among them women and minors within the third the quarter of the year in the state.
In all, the Commissioner said no fewer than 888 persons were killed, 2,553 kidnapped, while 720 citizens were injured by bandits between January and September, 2021 in the state.
Similarly, he said 12,860 cattle were rustled and 220 bandits were killed during the period under review (January to September).
The Commissioner stated these while presenting the third quarter security report on Wednesday at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House in the state capital where he said that during the period under review, bandits raped 10 women between July & September 2021.
“Ten persons were reported to have been raped across the state from July to September , 2021. Eight of these were minors. Five of the cases were recorded in the Northern Senatorial District with four of these being minors while three rape cases from Kudan LGA, two recorded from Southern Kaduna Senatorial District, both minors,” he said.
Speaking further, he disclosed that 193 people out of the total number killed were from the Southern Kaduna Senatorial District, saying that the figure was largely made up of victims of the violent attacks and reprisals in Zango-Kataf, Kaura and Kauri local government areas.
According to him, 114 people died in Zango-Kataf LGA, 45 in Kaura LGA and 19 in Kauru in the period under the review.
The Kaduna Central Senatorial District, he said, recorded 130 deaths representing 38 percent with 125 of the deaths occurring in Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Igabi, Chikun and Kajuru LGAs of the state.
“Chikun LGA recorded 37 deaths, Igabi LGA 29, Giwa LGA 27 and Birnin Gwari LGA 25 and Kajuru recorded 7 deaths in the third quarter
He also said the Northern Senatorial Zone recorded 20 people killed in the third quarter with 5 deaths in Lere LGA of the state.
The Commissioner said a total of 830 people were kidnapped in the third quarter of the year with the Kaduna Central Senatorial District accounting for 732, adding that all of these occurred in Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Igabi, Chikun and Kajuru LGAs.
He added that in total 222 women and 179 minors were kidnapped I’m the third quarter across the state.
“Chikun LGA had 243 citizens kidnapped, Birnin Gwari LGA 143 while 132 citizens were kidnapped from Kajuru LGA, Igabi LGA had 106 kidnapped while 98 persons were kifnapped in Giwa LGA.
“Southern Kaduna Senatorial District recorded 51 kidnapped persons, with Kachia LGA reporting the highest number of 28.
“The Northern Senatorial District recorded 47 kidnapped persons with 16 of these from Zaria LGA,” he added.
During the period under review, the Commissioner said bandits injured no fewer than 220, 21 of these were women while five were minors below the age of 18 years.
Out of the figure, he said, Kaduna Central Senatorial District accounted for 122(58%), while 54 occurred in Birnin Gwari LGA with 24 in Chikun LGA and 18 in Igabi LGA of the state, adding that 67 persons sustained injuries from attacks in Southern Kaduna Senatorial District and “36 of these were in Zango-Kataf LGA; 21 persons were injured in the Northern Senatorial District comprising two women.”
The Commissioner also said 69 bandits were killed by security operatives across the state while 101 persons were rescued.
El-Rufai calls for massive recruitment of military, police to tackle insecurity
In his remarks, the state governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai while conveying the sympathy of the state government for the pains over insecurity in the state, called on the federal government to embark on massive recruitments of youth across the states into the military and the police to end the insecurity in the country.
He urged the federal government to recruit 1000 youth each from the 774 local government areas of the country into the military and the police to help the conventional security agencies to tackle kidnapping, banditry and other related crimes in the land.
El-Rifai also expressed the state’s support and aligned with the National Assembly to designate bandits as terrorists in the country, saying that “bandits should not live but be killed.”
Also speaking, the Emir of Birnin Gwari, Alhaji Zubairu Jibril Mai Gwari II commended the state government over their effort to tackle insecurity in the state especially in Birnin Gwari, hotbed of banditry in the state.
He noted with delight that the telecommunication shut down in the state was taken a toll on the bandits as they could no longer connect with their informants.
The monarch also added that other stiffer measures embarked upon by the state government such as the ban on motorcycle, felling of trees, sales of petrol in jerry can to tackle insecurity in the state, were yielding the desired results.
On his part, the paramount ruler of the Atyap Chiefdom, Agwatyap, Dr. Dominic Yahaya commended the Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, for churning out reports which reflected the true state of killings in Zango-Kataf and environs.
However, the monarch lamented that isolated killings were still rampant while the destruction of farms by bandits continued unabated in his domain.
Both the General Officers Commanding 1st and 3rd Divisions of the Nigerian Army, Major Generals Ibrahim Ali and Kabiru Mukhtar spoke shortly after the presentation.
General Ali noted that the command would adhered to its oaths of allegiance in tackling the insecurity in the state while General Mukhtar said plan was underway to review the operations in order to battle banditry and other related crimes in its areas of operation.
Mukhtar also called on stakeholders in Southern Kaduna to be tolerant with one another, reminding them of the sad experience in Rwanda, adding that “no tribe win any war” but to learn to co-exist peacefully.
