When Kalare militants sheathed their swords on the Plateau
She was the only female amongst the hundreds of former political thugs who went through the intensive one week intensive training and rehabilitation programme under the auspices of the Gombe state government. But she is one of a kind. She still bears noticeable marks on her body and face, evidence of indulgence in violent confrontations […]
She was the only female amongst the hundreds of former political thugs who went through the intensive one week intensive training and rehabilitation programme under the auspices of the Gombe state government. But she is one of a kind. She still bears noticeable marks on her body and face, evidence of indulgence in violent confrontations in the past, this time around the glint in her eyes and the words of peace and unity which continually spilled from her mouth pointed to a changed personality. Regina Ibrahim is one of the hundreds of political thugs who put security outfits in Gombe and parts of northern Nigeria constantly on their toes during political upheavals. Known widely as Yankalare, they were a piky thorn in the flesh of the government due to the wanton acts of violence, thuggery and criminal tendencies. But today a large majority of them they were turning over a new leaf and were willing to toe the path of peace and honour.
‘When I was called up by the state government for this program I was apprehensive because I thought it was a move by the authorities to get rid of us. But due to my past life of violence and steely character, I decided to come nonetheless. I was the only female amongst the over 300 militants that came from Gombe. But I was pleasantly surprised by my experiences here so far at the training camp. I was treated very well by my male colleagues and I got other wonderful training experiences courtesy the school here. Whenever I had difficulties every one rallied round me. This has made me become a changed person in the course of this short training. I have successfully concluded my course. I appeal to the state governor to also extend the same gesture to thousands of my female colleagues in Gombe who are still actively involved in political thuggery. As for me I am no longer going back into militancy or criminality,’ says Regina demurely as she gets brotherly pats on the back and shoulder from her former nay reformed male partners-in-violence.
The training program sponsored fully by the Gombe state government under the auspices of the Citizen and Leadership Training Center, Shere hills took the 330 ex-militants, through a one week intensive training programs. A course instructor, Alex Akninnusi said the rigorous training included physical exercises such as Rope obstacle crossing, assault course challenge, climbing of walls and beams and also the use of other physical training gadgets and it ended with a three hour climb to the peak of the Shere hills. They were also taught life changing courses such as the role of youths in peace building for national development, drug abuse and misuse and its overall effects, importance of peaceful coexistence, effects of small arms and light weapons proliferation, imperative of ethno-religious conflicts and management of national security and also entrepreneurial skills for effective youth empowerment.
Coordinator of the training school, Dr Ademola Adedeji says that the dividends of the training was already bearing appreciable fruits even before the youths had left the plains of Jos. ‘The fruits are already evident going by what we have started seeing amongst these youths. A group of Muslims amongst them donated a reasonable amount totalling N25,730 towards the ongoing renovation of the centre’s mosque. Lost monies and handsets were brought forward by some students who found them. This is unusual in several of our trainings.
A participant donated a thousand naira for the replacement of one of our old national flags. No theft was recorded all through the training. Most importantly all the participants exhibited a high sense of communal living and determination to tolerate others as no case of brawling or fighting was recorded despite the compelling need for them to share buckets, brooms, rooms and bathrooms including toilets.
There was no distinction or discrimination among the participants in terms of ethnic or religious inclinations. All of them lived and fed from the same bowl, slept in the same room and enjoyed the same sports or games together without any recourse to religious or ethnic affiliations.’
He added that the training would in the end make the former political thugs act appropriately in difficult challenges within a multi ethno-religious setting and also teach them the ability to make and take decisions that have high moral values, imbibe positive attitude towards crucial relationship with others for the promotion of peaceful communal living in addition to showing tolerance, care and compassion for other citizens.
Minster of youth development, Inuwa Abdul-Kadir who visited the ex militants urged them to take the lessons of peace back to their constituencies in Gombe. ‘Violence has no place in our nation. It destroys communities, impedes development and throws families into mourning. Help stop the circle of violence. Please take the message back to your family members, to your friends and to your communities,’ he urged the reformed youths.
Usman Moh’d representative of the ex militants gave a summary of the resolve of the youths at the end of the training program. ‘We have firmly resolved that henceforth none of us or those under our influence would be available for any politician to use as a thug or thugs to unleash terror or havoc on our own people. We hereby classify, ‘kalare’ as a negative movement or organisation that only breeds fear and pains and have therefore dissociated ourselves from it and such similar groups in any form by any name or in any guise in the future,’ he announced on behalf of the trainees. They however urged the federal government to expand such trainings to other parts of the country as a first veritable step in attaining peace through youths.
Musa Abdullai and Jibrin Mohammed two of the trainees told newsmen that their life of constant violence was at an end and for them there is no going back in their avowed determination to become better citizens. ‘From now on we will avoid taking drugs as this is the chief cause of most crimes. Our trainers have also instilled in us the need to fear God. These coupled with our determination to live in peace with other society members will form a great part of our new character,’ says Jibrin.
MO Fawole, DG of the training school urged the hitherto restive youths to always think ahead as that is the key to avoiding anti social pitfalls. ‘When you wake up every day and you ask yourself what next? That is the solution to a life of evil and violence. When you think proactively and in productive terms on how to make yourself better persons and also improve the fortunes of the society, then you are on the right path and will never again become willing tools in the hands of evil people anymore.’
Deputy governor of Gombe state, Mr Tha’anda Rubainu who represented, governor Ibrahim Dakwambo told Sunday Trust that the reformed youths would on return to Gombe state be co-opted by the state government to become coordinators and supervisors for thousands of other Gombe youths recently trained in the ward, environmental and traffic units of the state so that they can instil the same training virtues in them. ‘This is the second phase of the entire process. The first phase was the training of ward supervisors, road marshals and environmental sanitation agents which we have completed. The third phase will also start soon. It will be intensive training of the youths in the agricultural sector, crop and livestock management and will incorporate more way ward youths. There are other programs in stock which will unfold as time goes by. The goal of the government is to ensure that every Gombe youth undergoes one form of training or the other absolutely at government’s expense. However the state will not tolerate any youth trained by it who decides to go back into a life of anti social activities…’