Non-Boko Haram violence plagues Northern states

The most recent is that of last Wednesday in some villages in Katsina State, while President Goodluck Jonathan was visiting the governor in the state capital. Slowly, but effectively, armed criminals are cutting a large swathe of terror across the north, notably in Kaduna, aforementioned Katsina, Benue, Plateau and Zamfara.In Kaduna, cattle-rustling has taken centre-stage, […]

The most recent is that of last Wednesday in some villages in Katsina State, while President Goodluck Jonathan was visiting the governor in the state capital. Slowly, but effectively, armed criminals are cutting a large swathe of terror across the north, notably in Kaduna, aforementioned Katsina, Benue, Plateau and Zamfara.
In Kaduna, cattle-rustling has taken centre-stage, especially in the thick-forested areas around Birnin Gwari Local Government. The presence of police and military checkpoints on the highways had done little or nothing to check the violent crimes that continue to plague the area, right up to last week. Benue State’s involve criminals who simply rustle cattle, and in the process, pit the Tiv and Fulani against each other. The action – or inaction – of the state government is believed to be a hindrance to the arrival at a solution that is fair.
In Zamfara, the battle is between farmers and criminals, much like a turf war. And caught between the two are the vigilante groups, whose members are killed regularly by the robbers. Police say they are “on top of the situation” but villagers who spoke to Weekly Trust doubt that. Then security sources say the violence which has been rocking Plateau State recently is less a religious or ethnic-tinged one, and more of criminality. The state’s police commissioner even said “Both Berom and Fulani are involved in cattle-rustling.”
In a lot of the situations, little or no assistance is offered by security forces, with the villagers or dwellers of affected towns left to fend for themselves.
Kaduna’s triple threats of bride abduction, cattle-rustling, armed robbery
In Kaduna, the major crimes that are spiraling out of control are daily armed robberies on highways, bride abduction and livestock theft. Most of the robberies occur along the Lagos-Birnin Gwari, Kaduna-Birnin Gwari and Funtua-Birnin Gwari roads at any time of the day. The criminals carry military-style weapons, mostly AK-47 rifles, as well as machetes, clubs and knives.
The Emir of Birnin Gwari, Malam Usman Jibrin Mai Gwari said recently that the robbers have their hideouts in thick forests around his domain. He also said the robbers also abductt girls and convert them to sex slaves and no attempt has been made by the police to thwart them. 
The robbers ambushed travelers at three different spots along the Kaduna-Birnin-Gwari road on Monday killing eight passengers traveling in an articulated vehicle to Lagos at one spot and a popular lecturer called Abubakar Shu’aibu was among their victims. This sparked protests in major towns along the roads, during which hundreds of vehicles and passengers were stranded. The Vice Chairman of Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressive Union Umar Nagwandu said robberies are common occurrences in the area in spite of the presence of the police adding that the protest was staged to draw the attention of the government. “The robbers are hiding in the forests and have sophisticated weapons and the source of their arms isn’t yet known, but there were claims that helicopters were seen by locals landing and taking off, allegedly delivering weapons.”
Nagwandu said the robbers roam the streets freely carrying guns in some villages along the Funtua road and seemed in charge of some villages. “There are villages where the robbers even move freely with their guns and no one can raise alarm for the fear of being killed.  Some of these villages located along the Funtua road including Janbirni, Unguwar Nacibi, Kwadaga and Meyashi.”
He said the protesters had earlier requested the establishment of a joint security force consisting of police, soldiers and local vigilantes at five-kilometre intervals along roads and other measures. He added that bride abduction also takes place in the area and the victims are taken to the forests by the thieves and converted to sex slaves. “They kidnapped a number of brides during wedding ceremonies in the rural areas and took them to the forest. Just recently, some girls were abducted on their way back from Kasuwan Nacibi.”
Apart from highway robberies, livestock rustling is also on the increase in the state with several commercial farms forced to close up. The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria recently said over 7,000 cattle have been stolen between 2013 and February 2014 in Kaduna alone. Just like the robbers, cattle raiders move in groups of between 10 to 20 armed men shooting sporadically on arrival at any farm. They shoot any herder that disagrees with them and move stolen cattle to the forests.
They drove away a herd of about 69 cattle in Niyya and 49 cattle in Alaramma farms in December 2013. They moved over 70 cattle belonging to integrated farms after killing the herder and drove a herd of 66 cattle from another farm along Abuja-Kaduna road after wounding a security guard. On February 13 the thieves stormed Mai Doki farms at Dinki village and drove 105 cattle including calves.  A source said the local vigilante later traced the hoofmarks of the cattle to the Birnin Gwari forest.
The rustlers marched into Yar’ Mani farms located on the Sabon Birni Road, three weeks ago at about 2:30am and drove away a herd of 44 cattle after killing a security guard. The thieves entered the farm in large numbers carrying sophisticated weapons and moved the cattle. The manager of the farms, Mohammed Abdullahi, said they took away all the cattle in the farm numbering 44 but 13 wandered back in the morning. Rustlers in the area mostly load stolen cattle including pregnant cows into trucks and transport them to markets in other parts of the country. They also sell the animals at major markets, sometimes in the presence of the owners.
Kaduna State police spokesman Aminu Lawan said the forest in the area is so thick that “one cannot rule out the possibility of the presence of criminals in it,” and that police have been taking measures to mop-up criminal in the area. He denied that helicopters supply arms to the thieves.
Katsina: Mass killings targeting masses
From cattle-rustling, to rape and incessant killings in the last few days, Katsina State residents fear that the surge in crime, particularly the killings, might spiral out of control if security measures are not intensified. In two consecutive weeks, several people have been killed in raids by gunmen, with the latest being midnight attacks in different villages in Faskari and Sabuwa Local Government Areas.
The gunmen went on a shooting spree that killed at least 96 people and left many injured Tuesday and Wednesday night. The affected villages are Kurar Mota, Marabar Kindo, Marabar Maigora, Maigora, Sabon Layin Galadima and Unguwar Doka.
Survivors said around 100 armed men stormed the villages riding motorbikes, and embarked on a house-to-house raid. “The gunmen come on motorcycles and launch their attack in the middle of the night. Each motorcycle carries about three people and they go from house-to-house shooting people. This cannot have anything to do with cattle theft like most people are saying, this is outright massacre,” a source added.
A survivor at Maigora told Weekly Trust that he witnessed the burial of 49 people at Maigora and Sabon Layin Galadima. Spokesman of the Katsina Police Command, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, said a mobile unit has been sent to the affected areas as reinforcement and police intelligence officers have also been deployed to the locations.
Policemen have also been victims of these attacks. Last week, gunmen on motorcycles shot dead three policemen along the Kano-Katsina border, at Gidan Mutum Daya, Kusada Local Government Area. The cops had been stationed at the border area for a stop-and-search.
Less than 48 hours after the killings, the state’s Police Commissioner, Muhammad Hurdi, said security measures were being intensified to safeguard the lives and property of the people. Despite this, gunmen have continued to unleash mayhem across the state and residents in the attacked villages claim absence of security operatives at the time of the attacks.
One survivor said: “I saw the people, men and women on their bikes with guns. All the policemen were relocated to the capital to safeguard the president’s life while our people were being killed mercilessly. They even promised to return.”
Weekly Trust confirmed that there was heavy security presence in the capital during the two-day visit of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Apart from the recent killings, cattle-rustling is another menace that has continued to terrorize Katsina. Several people in different local government areas across the state have fallen victim to rustling, including very prominent personalities; but these people say disclosing their identities as they narrate their ordeal is like signing their own death warrant.
 In 2013, communities like Batsari, Jibiya, Kankara, Faskari, Sabuwa, Danmusa, Dandume and Safana, which are all connected to the Rugu forest, witnessed several incidents of rustling and in some cases loss of lives. A herder, who declined being named for his personal safety said the thick forests surrounding these border towns made it easy for rustlers to perpetrate their crime.
 He said: “During the rainy season, our pastoralists usually migrate to these forests where they have more than enough to feed their livestock. But lately, they have been unable to do so because the forests have been overtaken by rustlers. These rustlers comfortably reside in the forests; they have all the modern gadgets like computers, mobile phones, generators and even televisions. These people know that they cannot be apprehended except by air raid. They come into town when they please, sometimes in broad day light, to conduct their operations. They even have informants within the communities who help them, probably in exchange for some stipends,” he said.
Not only do these rustlers steal from their victims, they sometimes beat them up and in cases where there are women in the household, they rape or kidnap them.
In January, a directive was given by the state government restricting the movement of vehicles transporting cattle between 6am and 7pm in a bid to curtail the menace. The police also reviewed the law restricting the movement of motorcycles and auto rickshaws (Keke NAPEP) from 9:30pm to 6am to 9:00pm to 6am.
 Another issue is rape. Recently, the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ibrahim Ahmed, said about 83 rape cases are pending before various courts, out of which 21 are within the state capital. Ahmed said the issue has become very serious, especially because victims and family members are often reluctant to allow the cases to be heard in court for fear of staining their family image.
A victim who spoke to Weekly Trust said she was raped as deterrent to her husband. “My husband had a problem with a well-known man. He and his friend came to my house when my husband was away. It was dark but I could tell from his voice that it was him and he raped me even though I was pregnant at that time. I got injured and had to be hospitalized. This is an experience I would never wish on even my enemy,” she said tearfully.
No end in sight for Benue’s deadly farmers-herders crisis
In Benue state, a total of 853 people have lost their lives in the past one year following bitter rivalry between farmers and herdsmen at different locations of the state. While the Fulani herdsmen claimed to have lost 214 persons and 3, 200 cows stolen within the period, the native people reportedly killed are estimated to be 633 excluding children and women who died in ramshackle camps in one year alone.
Also, six soldiers attached to the 72 battalion in Makurdi were killed in the cross fire that ensued between the two groups during the period. Five of them were killed in Agatu in January this year while one, a captain, was beheaded in Guma LGA.
Secretary of the Miyetti Allah Breeders Association, Garus Gololo stated that the numbers of the herders who died in the course of the regrettable crisis included families murdered in cold blood. He added that the seven other representatives of the cattle breeders invited to a recent peace-brokering meeting between them and their Agasha host community in Guma LGA were also counted among the victims. According to Gololo, the endless conflicts in recent time seem to have involved some criminal elements masquerading as herdsmen to cause trouble and as such, the association would soon undertake a census of the nomads operating in Benue to check infiltrations.
While the Idoma-speaking Agatu natives recorded no less than 175 deaths in 34 villages overrun by the invaders in a number of attacks during the year under review even as their Tiv counterparts in Guma, Makurdi, Gwer, Gwer West and other towns at the fringes of the Taraba border shared the bloc of 458 deaths and over 350 communities affected. The lawmaker representing Agatu constituency at the Benue State House of Assembly, Sule Audu lamented the level of destruction in the areas and called for collaboration between both Kogi and Nasarawa states to stop the attackers, which in his estimation are hired mercenaries of the herders.
The police declined to give a number of people arrested in connection with the crime within the period but in a press statement by Commissioner Adams Audu on the command’s achievement for the year, it listed the arrest of five persons in connection with the crisis. The statement added that the suspects confessed that they were hired by a Fulani man based in Nasarawa State.
Efforts to find solution to the crisis which has assumed a very dangerous dimension lately following the sack of the entire Guma council has led Governor Gabriel Suswam to set up a committee headed by retired General Atom Kpera.
Zamfara under a plague of banditry
Villagers in Zamfara State are still living in fear of being attacked by armed bandits that have been terrorizing them in the last three years. The attacks can happen at any time, as sources say. More than 300 people were killed following series of deadly attacks on various villages. While addressing members of the state House of Assembly in September last year, the governor of the state, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, said about 160 people were killed and 6,000 cows rustled in the same year and this is in addition to the abduction of ten women by the robbers and cattle-rustlers.
The attacks are carried out mostly by motorbike-riding gangs and in September 2013, nine vigilantes were killed by the criminals in Tsanu village. Most of the time they struck, the robbers said they were exacting vengeance on vigilante members who they accuse of threatening their means of livelihood.
In August 2011, 19 people were killed in Lingyado village of Maru local government area and in February and June 2012, 42 were gunned down in Birnin Magaji and Dagulbi, respectively. Also, in November 2012, 20 were killed in Kabaro village in Dansdau district in Maru local government while 54 were massacred in Kizara village of Tsafe local government area in June this year. Latest of such deadly raids was the one carried out in Tungar Rakumi and three other villages in Maru local government area of the state early last month in which more than 20 persons were killed. The blood doesn’t seem to stop flowing.
These attacks preceded warnings issued by the gunmen to the Bawar Daji community in Anka local government area of the state in July last year asking the residents to desist from cultivating lands in the surrounding forests. Similar warning was also issued to a construction company to vacate road construction site or face dire consequences.
Weekly Trust’s investigations in three villages in Bungudu local government indicated that the residents in these communities have made rocks and trees their abode as they deserted their homes and are taking refuge there. In some places, half of the villagers have fled.
Investigations further revealed that even the members of the vigilante group are dodging their homes at night for fear of attacks by the robbers. One of the vigilante group leaders who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity said the robbers always want identify and kill them because they consider them as enemies.
In Birnin Magaji Local government several people were killed last year including one businessman, Alhaji Barau Kokiya, who was killed earlier in September in his village Gusami. Our reporter stumbled over a vigilante member in the forest patrolling the villages in the local government on his motor bike and when approached he said his name is Bello Mashagiwa. “I’m ready to die protecting myself and other communities.”
He further explained that cattle-rustlers herded away his 33 cows and 15 sheep as such he had nothing to live for now.
The vigilante group chairman of Birnin Magaji local government, Abdu Bugu Da Gora, said his colleagues in danger. “Our communities rely on farming and herding and if a typical rural dweller can’t rear animals and safely work on his farm for a living then what else do they want us to do?”
However, an elder in the local government, Alhaji Yunusa Adamu, attributed the success the robbers are recording in their operations to the bad road networks in the local government adding that they couldn’t be reached easily because the road linking villages are not motorable.
Reacting, the state Commissioner of Information, Alhaji Ibrahim Birnin Magaji said the state government is liaising with all the stakeholders to end the calamity. “But one thing I want you to understand is that the issue of security is confidential, as such we can’t just explain our tactics on the pages of newspapers,” he said.
The state police command through its Public Relations Officer DSP Lawal Abdullahi said the command is working day and night to end the menace, adding that in recent times they had arrested a good number of cattle-rustlers and also recovered hundreds of cows.
Plateau: Home of peace, tourism and violence?
Jos, the capital city of Plateau State has witnessed relative peace in the last three years. But the gain of the city has come at a high cost for residents living in some of the villages of the state. Killings have assumed a troubling dimension, mainly between Fulani herders and some of the locals, especially the Berom ethnic group around Jos South, Riyom and Barkin Ladi local government areas. In 2013, approximately 260 people on both sides lost their lives as a result of attacks and counter-attacks while about 7,200 cattle were rustled or killed within the period.
The Berom Youths Movement (BYM), an umbrella body which often speaks on behalf of the ethnic group told Weekly Trust that they had lost 184 people in 2013 as a result of attacks on Berom villages. Rwang Dantong, the president of the movement said the villages that suffered most of the attacks were “Foron, Fan, Ropp, Kuru, Gyel Gashish, Heipang, Shonong, Dajak, Wareng and Jol all in Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Jos south local government areas.” The most recent attack occurred two weeks ago in Rim, Riyom local government area where nine people were killed according to the Special Task Force and scores injured. Two weeks earlier, 12 persons had been killed in a night attack in Fan district of Barkin Ladi LGA. The death toll seems on a steady, upward movement.
However, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) Jos chapter also said the cost of 7,200 cattle they lost in 2013 were valued at N430 million while 87 of their members were killed in various attacks across the state. The Chairman of MACBAN Alhaji Usman Boro Hussaini told Weekly Trust that most of their herders were mainly attacked around Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Jos South, Langtang North and Langtang South, adding that “Presently, none of our members are in Langtang, but they still rustle our cattle around Wase and Shendam because they are border communities.”
Perhaps the biggest loss for the cattle-breeders in 2014 was last week when they lost 604 cattle in two days around Jos South local government area. Though about 50 of the cattle were said to have been recovered by the STF at the time of filing this report, there is apprehension that the loss of the cattle may lead to a reprisal. As impressive as it is that the STF has succeeded in containing crisis in Jos and environs, the pockets of attacks in villages are proving a bit of a challenge, even though STF says it is surmountable if community members are able to isolate themselves from the criminals in their midst. 
The attacks and cattle theft seem to be part of a state-wide chain security sources say are highly connected. Some commentators believe that the attacks on the Plateau have less to do with religion and ethnicity and more to do with acts of criminality. The Commissioner of Police, Chris Olakpe even said they have found that both Berom and Fulani are involved in cattle-rustling. His point was proven when a popular traditional armed robber-hunter, Shehu Musa Aljan arrested 16 suspected cattle rustlers of both Berom and Fulani ethnic groups early this year.