Mustapha Isah Kwaru
16 November 2008
Maiduguri — Borno state's slogan reads home of peace. Indeed, the 32-year old state was peaceful not until it metamorphosed into a place where residents and motorists no longer sleep with their two eyes closed due to lingering cases of armed robbery especially in towns, villages, highways, in Maiduguri, the state capital, as well as across the 27 local government areas in the state.
Day in day out, residents are killed and some times, even law enforcement officers with weapons to protect the citizenry turn victims of robbery gangs. Residents have attributed the growing rate of high way robberies in the state to the fact that Borno shares border with three countries: Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Some nationals of these countries, mostly rebels are believed to be crossing into Nigerian border to commit the crimes.
Not long ago there was a robbery incidents along Maiduguri-Gubio road where men of the underworld attacked motorists, killed a commercial driver and injured passengers of a Golf car. Kanem Trust learnt that the hoodlums numbering about 15 laid siege on the road for about 30 minutes and dispossessed several motorists and passengers of cash as well as valuables. An eyewitness, Mallam Goni Ahmed told our correspondent that the driver met his untimely death for refusing to stop as ordered by the suspected robbers.
"The robbers ordered every on coming vehicle to stop, but unfortunately, the driver failed to comply and attempted to escape, the hoodlums hurriedly shot on the car sporadically and bullets smashed his head", an eye witness said.
He stated that police and military patrol team went to the scene but only after the robbers had fled into the bush. He said the robbers who wore military uniforms were suspected to be foreigners from neighbouring Cameroon. Even though a team of policemen were drafted to the bush, they were unable to catch the criminals even as the police urged the people of the area to furnish the command with useful information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects.
Worried by rampant banditry cases, some local government councils have set up vigilante group comprising local hunters who work hand in hand with policemen in protecting the citizenry against the robbers. The state police command did not only welcome the idea but also agreed to organise police/hunters joint patrol team.
The state police commissioner, Mohamed Sambo also embarked on tour of all the police divisional headquarters in the 27 local governments where he challenged officers and men of the divisions to expedite actions in combating robbery as well as all forms of crimes in their areas. He also urged the local government chairmen to assist police and vigilante groups with necessary facilities and logistics to make their domains crime free zones.
At the initial commencement of the joint operation some six months back, the rate of armed robbery had drastically minimized as several armed robbers who hitherto operated freely and fled into the bush and that some times police were unable to pursue them because they don't know the nature of the terrain were now either arrested or killed. The joint patrol team arrested 33 armed robbery suspects belonging to various gangs and killed four within one week.
The state police commissioner, Mohamed Sambo who paraded the suspects before newsmen said that the gangs were arrested at various locations of the state, after robbing several motorists. The first gang of the hoodlums, the commissioner said operated along Marte-Monguno road and dispossessed passengers of their valuables and cash.
Sambo said that on receiving information of the robbery, vigilante group confronted the criminals, saying during the encounter, four robbers were killed while others escaped with bullet wounds, just as two AK-47 riffles, one pistol, two 87 quantities of 7.62mm live ammunitions, 14 AK 47 magazines and one military cap were recovered from the criminals.
According to him, the second gang comprised 22 men and were arrested along Dikwa-Gulumba road, pointing out that the command is equally intensifying its efforts to arrest other fleeing bandits. He explained that the criminals were apprehended in their hideouts, noting that it is not the intention of the police to engage in an exchange of fire with robbers, unless where it became necessary and could not do otherwise.
Items found in possession of the armed robbers, the commissioner said, included four single guns, one locally made with a live cartridge, four bows, six quiver containing arrows, two cutlasses. Also found in their possession were the sum of N7, 150.00 with a red motorcycle 125 which they usually used to coordinate their criminal activities.
He pointed out that the command intensified efforts to apprehend the remaining fleeing bandits and appealed to the general public to furnish police with useful information that could lead to the arrest of the fleeing suspects. He urged people of the areas to report any person or group found with bullet wounds seeking treatment in hospitals or from native doctors.
Police, according to Sambo, would not hesitate to combat any individual or group threatening lives of the citizenry or causing a breach of peace, and reiterated the determination of the command on the maintenance of law and order at all times. The commissioner appealed to members of the public to furnish the police with useful information on the hideouts of suspected criminals.
Asked why police succeeded in arresting such number of robbers within one week, the CP said "this may not be unconnected with the resolution of the local governments to engage local hunters and be part of our patrol, the hunters are leading us to the hideouts of the suspected hoodlums because they are indigenes of the areas and are familiar with the terrain more than police".
However, as motorists and residents were jubilant over the reduction in armed robbery cases, their delight was shortlived as robbery resurfaced even in Maiduguri, the state capital.
Only days' back, criminals carried out two operations in the state capital where they attacked a filling station along Gamborou road killing the manager of the station, the same gang also raided a pharmaceutical store and carted away undisclosed sum of money. Also, some robbery suspects numbering about ten killed a Deputy Superintendent of Immigration II, Saulawa Ahmed, attached to Banki, a border town between Nigeria and Cameroun in Borno state.
Kanem Trust investigations show that one Ahmed, an indigene of Katsina state was instantly shot dead along Bama-Banki road by the robbers after he was said to have visited his family in Maiduguri and was returning to his duty post before running into the hoodlums.
It was gathered that the deceased who wore mufti ran into the robbers who had already blocked the road for about 30 minuets and disposed various motorists of their cash and valuables. The criminals according to one of the victims of the attack, who spoke on condition of anonymity operated freely as there was no police anti robber patrol team to challenge them.
Asked why the bandits resolved to kill the immigration officer alone and spare other victims, he said "the episode was tragic as the men of the underworld ordered everyone of us to surrender his cash, we all complied, but they (robbers) insisted that Ahmed hid some cash under the carpet of the vehicle he was traveling in as he was trying to explain that he had nothing left behind, the bandits shot him and he died on the spot.
Apparently realizing that all efforts made in the past to stem the problem of banditry had proved unsuccessful, Borno state government recently renewed a strategy to wage a total war against men of the under world. Governor Ali Sheriff in a mini ceremony launched a joint patrol comprising men drawn from the army, air force and police, tagged 'operation flush'. 72 patrol vehicles, equipped with modern communication gadgets were also launched for the operation; the sum of N79m was handed over to the patrol team to cover allowances of members for three months, while fuel depots have been established across the entire 27 local government, so that patrol vehicles can always re-fuel and with all logistics provided by government the patrol men would have no reason not to wage war on the robbers.
"Your allowances for the next three months are with your commanders and that filling stations were designated for the vehicles to be fuelled, with all these supports, I did not see reason why you cannot defeat armed robbers. No governor can claim legitimacy if he fails to ensure security, protection of lives and property of the people" the governor said.
He also disclosed that government has tasked men of the Nigerian Immigration Service, customs and all other security operatives along the border towns to strengthen security operations to guarantee the success of the patrol, promising to personally supervise the operation through direct monitoring.
Sheriff said government was seriously disturbed on the series of robbery cases in various parts of the state and therefore deemed it necessary to form the police, military joint patrol to address the problem. He expressed dismay that in recent times, men of the underworld had taken over major highways and other parts of the state, killing innocent people as well as disposing them of their belongings.
The governor said all tiers of government have a mandate to ensure the safety of lives and property of citizens, no matter what it would cost them; saying distribution of the vehicles signified his determination in curbing the mayhem caused by the hoodlums. He also hinted that as part of efforts to involve community participation in the fight against crimes, he met with all traditional institutions and urged them to mobilise all and sundry to support the crusade.
The state chief executive noted that Borno is prone to robberies due to its proximity with three neighboring countries which makes it easy for bandits to operate and sneak to the other countries. And it was o put an end to criminal activities that all logistics were provided by government so that the patrol men would have no reason not to wage war on robbers.
Earlier during the ceremony, Secretary to the State Government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda had said that maintenance of security was the statutory responsibility of governments, saying the recent move has demonstrated government's preparedness to ensure law and order.
Speaking on behalf of the operation flush team, the Brigade commander, 21 Armoured Brigade, Brigadier General K.S. Yahaya commended the governor for initiating the patrol and gave assurance that armed banditry would soon become a history in the state. He explained that with the provision of adequate logistics to the security men, no stone would be left unturned in an effort to eradicate all form of crimes in all the nooks and crannies of the state.
Given this development, residents hope that the era of robbers becoming kings and ruling their lives may soon be over. It is however, feared that the operation flush programme proves not to be another ceremony organised to score cheap popularity as common with governments since residents across the state still go to sleep with their eyes wide open owing to bitter experiences about robbers they may have read, heard or witnessed involving themselves, relations, friends or next door neighbours.
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