Hoodlums attack textile factories, residents in Kaduna

However, repeated revival efforts have been initiated to bring back these companies to life, but they are still under lock and key while their future is uncertain.Sunday Trust observed that hoodlums have taken advantage of the situation to repeatedly break into the factories during night and day, looting what is left of them. These hoodlums […]

However, repeated revival efforts have been initiated to bring back these companies to life, but they are still under lock and key while their future is uncertain.
Sunday Trust observed that hoodlums have taken advantage of the situation to repeatedly break into the factories during night and day, looting what is left of them. These hoodlums also attack residents of Kakuri area of Kaduna South, where these factories are mostly located. It was further gathered that some of the hoodlums have lost their lives in during operations.
But there are allegations of complicity on the part of some security operatives who are said to give the hoodlums cover and share the proceeds from the loot. This is because till date, these hoodlums have continued their activities boldly and in broad daylight.
The hoodlums are said to have stolen vital machine parts, including scraps and other office fittings and furnishings. In Arewa textiles, it was learnt that they brought in a gas cylinder and other working materials which they use in cutting different parts of the machines into handy sizes. Some of them usually work on the machines all through the night in the factories, and in the morning their colleagues will cart away their loot to Kakuri market where they sell them off to dealers who sometimes deposit money in advance, it was alleged.
In 2011 and 2012, joint operations of security operatives killed many of the hoodlums at different times in KTL and Arewa. That reduced their activities until 2013 when they came back with renewed determination and violence, attacking anyone that stand in their way or interferes in their activities.
Our reporter learnt that things took a different twist in 2013 when a military captain in mufti approached the looters on one of the occasions along Kakuri market and told them to return the stolen items. The hoodlums attacked him, stabbing him on the arm, a situation that made him conduct a far-reaching operation.
“Many of the thieves were arrested after that and the collaborating dealers were dislodged from Kakuri market. The action of the military emboldened Kakuri residents to establish local vigilantes to guard the factories,’’ a resident said.  
The local vigilantes have also recorded some successes as they have fished out many of the thieves from their bases in the community. At times, the hoodlums attack the vigilantes, an action that sometimes leads to a free-for-all fight, during which knives and other dangerous weapons are freely used. At other times, the hoodlums parade themselves as the vigilantes and enter the factories to steal,” a Kakuri resident told Sunday Trust.
It was gathered that in May this year, people claiming to be vigilantes at KTL attacked residents of Kakuri, injuring many in the process. About 15 of them attacked passersby and residents living along Tabani Street in Kakuri with dangerous weapons.
“These boys are thieves claiming to guard KTL. They attack people in order to cause panic so that they could escape with what they stole. These boys are terrorising us. The government should please take action now before lives are further endangered,” a female resident said.
The chairman, Coalition of Closed Unpaid Textiles Workers, Comrade Wordom Simdik, said he was not aware of any arrangement for such people to guard any of the shut textile factories.
Similarly, the senior manager, Commercial and Administration at KTL, Mallam Aminu Abdullahi, said the police were the only ones mandated to guard the factory, adding that vigilantes are unauthorised.
Last October, a 28-year-old man, Jerome Abah Joseph was stabbed to death in Kakuri by suspected burglars who were trying to break into the KTL. He was rushed to St. Gerald’s Hospital in Kakuri where some people donated blood for his revival, but he died few minutes after the donation.
Jerome, who was working in Prosan Engineering Company, near Critall-Hope Company, had gone out to eat in a restaurant when he and his friend were accosted by four men who said they were staring at them. Thereafter, they pursued the two to the main road in front of the Kakuri market and stabbed Jerome. The four attackers carried knives and other dangerous weapons, and no one could confront them.
“These thieves stealing from the textile factories have become so confident that they enter the factories in the afternoon and attack anyone who crosses their path. The government has refused to do anything about it even as our lives are being threatened by the activities of these hoodlums. They have killed someone already and they won’t stop the killing. If you come here tomorrow you will still see them entering the textile company and coming out with different machine parts. It has been said that some security operatives are giving the thieves strong backing. This is true because they have refused to do anything about it,” a resident who preferred anonymity said.
When contacted, the police public relations officer, Kaduna State command, Superintendent Aminu Lawan said: “It is not the responsibility of the police to guard the textile companies. Everybody is aware of what the police are doing in that area. Apart from that, the hoodlums are not coming from Abuja, Lagos or Maiduguri; they are the same people from the area. Nevertheless, we are doing our best in terms of providing security, and any moment we get any information, we respond promptly. Time without number our, division in that area has arrested suspects and those caught with the properties of the textiles. Many a times we charge them to court after our investigation. That is what we have been doing so far, and we shall continue to do that. Apart from that, the ‘Good Samaritans’ from the area usually help out by providing information to the police, and we do respond promptly. The people of the area sometimes assist us in apprehending these hoodlums.
This matter is not for the police alone to solve, everybody has to play their roles. The community, the parents, the traditional institution, and of course the security agents must work together in order to tackle this ugly trend.”