By Abu Shekara
The Northwest of Nigeria is at a standstill. Disruption and destruction summerize the life of the people in this corner of the country in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Niger and Kaduna and Kebbi States.
Thousands of lives of the able bodied, the most productive and prosperous citizens in this area have been lost or pauperized by bandits or kidnappers. And as terrified survivors of this carnage flee their habitats, the economy of a large chunk of the Northwest is dibilitated
The criminal activities are concentrated on the most productive parts of the area, the bread baskets that are highly endowed agriculturally and pastorally. Bandits and kidnappers find them more lucrative to loot and more viable for ransom demands and the imposition of levies.
It all began with uncoordinated gangs of gunmen carrying out highway robberies, kidnappings and engaging in forays into remote and isolated farming or pastoral communities in the forests of Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina States, with occasional spill over into Sokoto State. Now, as the criminals gain virtual control over a wider territory, many villages in the Northwest are practically coming under their rule.
This is fast becoming the scenario in much of the Eastern part of Sokoto State, since the recent military onslaughts in the Zamfara and Niger forests that forced the bandits and kidnappers to flee to the area. Without a prompt follow up action in the Sokoto territory, the state is now headquarters to the most notorious bandits, who reports have it, have already instituted vitual governments in a number of villages.
This state of affairs did not materialize overnight. It developed due to general laxity within communities and inaction on the part of the relevant authorities for a considerable period of time. It’s the product of a misplay of roles by virtually all actors that led to a tragedy.
A catalyst to the situation is the poorly managed, agelong farmers-herdsmen disputes across Northern Nigeria.
Matters progressively worsened, with clashes between the two groups becoming more bloody, while the authorities, particularly security agencies appeared helplessly incapable of prompt and appropriate action.
As postures hardened, elements on both sides of the dispute were cultivating a notoriety for unleashing terror on rival communities at the slightest provocation. Culpability on the part of some leaders on either side escalated the situation and made conciliation very illusive.
Volunteer militia on the farmers side known in Hausa as “ƴan sa kai” competed with armed gangs of herdsmen in wrecking havoc, not on each other (ironically) but on innocent people of each other’s communities. The law abiding inhabitants on their part, looked upon passively as their sons terrorized their neighbors, while making no effort to discourage them.
A recent example is the case of Goronyo in Sokoto State, where, self appointed militia from the town defied an existing government ban and attacked a herders settlement killing women and children. An attempt to bring the culprits to book, sparked a riot by the militia, who made open threats on the personal safety of the administrative, political and traditional leaders of the local government.
In a move that can’t be rationally explained, except to say that they were substantially intimidated, the authorities released the gang leader of the riots, after which he was given a heroes welcome by his comrades on the streets of Goronyo. Predictably, the incident was followed by a more bloody reprisal attack on the town by heavily armed bandits, which claimed 45 lives, including those of women and children.
The Goronyo militia action and the bandits counter attack were a repeat of an established pattern that features an initial lawless act that goes unpunished being followed by a more ugly reprisal, both on innocent, law abiding citizens. It’s a viscious circle that is sustained by palpable inaction on the part of the authorities and the affected communities.
The phenomenon assumed the level of banditry, when isolated armed herder gangs started merging to carry out attacks on farming settlements. They also began to enlist the solidarity of their kin from neighboring countries, who also fell victim of farmers militia assaults during their cross border grazing trips into the area.
An emerging negative trend is that the bandits are gaining more strength by bonding with the insurgent group ISWAP to forge a common front. Ironically however, the public, who bear the brunt of that solidarity are getting more and more polarized in attitude and opinion on who’s ultimately responsible for fighting the criminal conglomerate.
So-called informed commentary didn’t help matters, as some analysts and leaders of opinion popularize views that are marked by insincerity, grandstanding or altogether, lack of suffecient awareness on the issue. An effort by the Sokoto state government to engender unity among political leaders did little to reverse the trend, as public discussion on the matter turned into a forum for politically motivated attacks and recriminations.
Governors of the Northwest are to a large extent able to eschew political differences and are, within their jurisdiction, putting up a coordinated effort against banditry in many respects. Their restraint from politicizing the issue is indeed positive but political exigency obviously explains their reluctance to place the buck where it should be, which is on the table of the Federal Government, whose exclusive duty it is to wage war on the criminals.
All is therefore quiet on the Northwestern front as far as agitation for action is concerned, as those actually responsible are sheilded from public reproach. The attitude, particularly in Sokoto State, is to view this regional phenomenon from parochial perspectives and seek local solutions to a problem that only forces beyond our boundaries have the competence and capacity to address.
• Shekara, a senior journalist, writes from Sokoto State.