Yan Sara Suka Terror Returns to Zaria

Sights of clusters of youths smoking marijuana or inhaling solution in different parts of Zaria are now common place. The belief among most residents of the ancient city is that the youths, who are drug addicts, are the ones causing havoc in the city. Aside the other security challenges facing the whole country, the activities […]

Sights of clusters of youths smoking marijuana or inhaling solution in different parts of Zaria are now common place. The belief among most residents of the ancient city is that the youths, who are drug addicts, are the ones causing havoc in the city. Aside the other security challenges facing the whole country, the activities of such youths and their gangs have of late, become a serious cause for concern for most residents of Zaria.

Drug addicts in the city now involve in a notorious felony known as Sara Suka. Sara Suka, literally translated from Hausa, means “hack and kill”. Those who engage in the act are known as ‘Yan Sara Suka.

In line with their known disposition, the ‘Yan Sara Suka, penultimate week, stormed one of the communities in Zaria, Tudun Wada, and unleashed terror on some innocent citizens. An unfortunate victim, a barber named Abduljalil, alias Danbaba, was caught in the rampage of the gang. The ‘Yan Sara Suka were at the Tudun Wada area to avenge the killing of one of their dogs, according to some accounts. The innocuous Danbaba, however, had just locked up his shop when he sighted a group of people who looked like policemen approaching his direction.

“It was 11:15pm, when I locked up my shop,” Danbaba began recounting his ordeal “I saw some people coming down to where I was standing. My initial thought was that they were policemen on patrol and therefore, I did not bother. I took the path to my house when I realised that those men were chasing me. I did not run because I wanted to be the man that I am. When they came close to me, they brought some clubs, including daggers, cutlasses and axes. I then told myself that those people can’t be policemen as I know police only use guns and not clubs.

“Having realised that, I abandoned the idea of being a man and took to my heels but they persistently pursued me up to a point where I became exhausted and fell down on the ground. The fact that I was flat on the ground didn’t make these people to spare me. They used their clubs on me. One of them brought out a long knife attempting to stab. That was why I raised up my hand in defence but unfortunately he cut off the hand by the wrist.”

When Danbaba saw his hand swivelling on the ground, he began to cry for help but before he could get any assistance, the miscreants fled the scene leaving him writhing in the pool of his own blood.

“I was rushed here, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika, Zaria, where I am undergoing treatments. There is no doubt that those people have really cheated me. I have become a handicap. How can I now continue with my barbing trade? Nevertheless, I leave everything for Allah to judge,” tearful Danbaba said.

According to him, he doesn’t participate in any gang activities, adding that he only pays attention to his barbing business, which he regards as a source of seeking a living.

“I don’t belong to any gang,” Danbaba said. “What I learnt was that a gang of ‘Yan Sara Suka living in our neighbourhood had killed a dog that belongs to the gang that cut off my hand. Therefore, they came to our area on a revenge mission and unfortunately, I was caught in the imbroglio. They attacked anybody they came across. I was not the only person they attacked that night. They attacked other people who are also here with me in the hospital.”

Another victim of that night’s Sara Suka rampage was one Abdulsalam who sustained many knife cuts. Abdulsalam said the gang that attacked him met him at the entrance of his house.

“I was sitting at the gate of my house when from nowhere, some people came and began to stab me from all angles with their knives. What saved me was my ability to run into my house and lock the gate. I don’t belong to any gang and up to this moment, I can’t say why I was attacked. I was attacked on the day Danbaba was attacked. I think they came to my house after they were through with Danbaba,” Abdulsalam said.

Danbaba told Sunday Trust that he lives at No. 52 Abubakar Imam Street in Tudun Wada, Zaria. Our correspondent went to the area to seek the views of some residents about the re-emerging trend of Sara Suka.

A resident who gave his name as Musa Abubakar, said; “Some years back, Tudun Wada was one of the popular havens of miscreants. Things had however changed after some efforts by our Council of Elders and security agents. It is unfortunate that we are going back to those dark days. To my own understanding, the major factor that is bringing back the notoriety of Sara Suka is drug addiction. Some of our youths are now engaged in the habit. Parents have to train their wards properly while the security agents have to come in to make sure that they check the activities of these miscreants.”

An elder brother to Danbaba, Aliyu Lawal Kira, also added his voice to the new development, saying that it is the duty of security agencies to ensure that lives and property of residents are adequately protected.

“Mine is only an appeal to all security agencies and even our community leaders. It is not proper for security agencies to allow this kind of things to continue. I feel that it is their responsibility to check all these types of menace. In a situation where those who commit these atrocities are allowed to go scot free, there is the tendency to force people to take laws into their hands.

“On my brother’s case, I know the people who cut off his hands. I even know where they live.  We are, however, waiting to see what action the government or security agencies will take because we have given them all the details they need. I would like to assure everyone that we are capable of revenging but we don’t want to do that. We want to be law abiding and allow the authorities to do their work,” Kira said.

Another resident of Tudun Wada, Malam Sunusi Danlami, said the area is notorious for gang activities dating back to the 80s and 90s.

“It is true that Tudun Wada was notorious for the activities of gangs. I can remember the days of ‘Yan Daukar Amarya (rapists), ‘Ya’yan Mage (miscreants) and the ‘Yan Sara Suka, among many others. All these groups terrorised us and even the people of our neighbourhood. They engage in inter and intra gang feuds that result in the killing or maiming of innocent citizens. However, their activities were curbed through the combined efforts of the community and the police. Some of the prominent gang leaders were either killed or have since repented from their sins.

“What I find very difficult to forget up till this moment was the killing of my friend sometimes in 2006 or 2007. He was killed by the boy who was courting his daughter. That friend lived in Lagos as that was where he used to run his business. He came back home and met his about 16-year-old daughter in a relationship. He was against the relationship.

“Therefore, it is true that notorious gangs were terrorising us before but things have normalise before the advent of the recent events. To overcome the resurfacing of these gangs’ activities, we need to do what we did before, that is, the community and the police to join hands together to fish out those behind the notorious activities and make them to face the full wrath of the law. All the boys, in some cases even girls, who engage in these activities, are our children. They live in our midst; therefore, nobody can say he doesn’t know them. Another thing that is important, which we need to do, is to give our children a good upbringing. We need to train our children well and ensure that we engage them either vocationally or intellectually,” Malam Danlami said.

Another episode which has raised the concern of Zaria residents, was the killing of one Buhari Idris, 22, in cold blood about three weeks ago. Before the death, he lived at No. 9 Limancin Kona inside the ancient city of Zaria. Sunday Trust gathered that Idris was killed during an inter gang fight.

“Well, if truth must be told, the person died during an inter gang fight. He was killed when the rival gangs met at a wedding ceremony and they stabbed him on the chest and he died before reaching the hospital. It is unfortunate what is happening in Zaria. The activities of those elements are, indeed, tarnishing the good image of our city. Zaria was only known as a centre of learning where people from different parts of the country came to acquire both Western and Islamic education. Zaria is known for being the home of prominent Islamic scholars but unfortunately the menace of the Sara Suka or Daba is threatening the good name of our beloved city,” a resident of Limancin Kona, who preferred to remain anonymous, said.

However, the elder brother of the deceased, Malam Garba Idris, said he and his late brother had since repented and withdrew their membership from the Sara Suka.

“It is true that before we were engaged in such activities but we have resigned from that notoriety. We are entirely new persons now.  Therefore, I see no reason why some rascals, would kill my brother. We know all those behind the killing and we would wait for the appropriate authorities to take action. Otherwise we may be forced to remember the past,” Mallam Idris said.

The consequences of the ‘Yan Sara Suka terror in Zaria did not stop at affecting the ordinary residents of the city. But it also affects the people who are regarded as occupants of prestigious positions in the society. During the 2010 Eid-el-Fitr  celebrations, a part of the Emir of Zazzau’s entourage was attacked by suspected hoodlums, believed to belong to the Yan Sara Suka gangs.

That development led to the cancellation of the traditional annual durbar of Hawan Bariki in the year 2011. It is also part of the reason why armed soldiers and police escorted the procession of the Emir and his district heads during the subsequent Sallah durbars.

On their part, the police in Kaduna have confirmed the increasing activities of the ‘Yan Sara Suka in Zaria, saying that they are on top of the situation.

“Yes,” the spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP, Aminu Lawal, says, “we have received some complaints including the murder of one Buhari. As I talk to you, the police are after the alleged killers who have since fled the area. Our men are as well investigating the circumstances that led to the murder. We have also received the report of the violent hand amputation of another person. We are after the perpetrators because the victim has told our men that he knows those who inflicted the injury on him. It was as a result of that information that the DPO of the area led a team of policemen to raid the houses of the suspects. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get anyone of them but certainly, we will get them.

“It is also true that there was some misunderstanding between some people of Banzazzau and those of Jushi on Wednesday, February 22, 2012, where some people sustained injuries. Our men gathered that the misunderstanding was as a result of inter-gang feud. When we say we are after suspects of any crime, we mean what we are saying. Recently, we arrested a suspect who was tipped as the person behind the murder of one Dalhatu Abdullahi at Unguwan Magajiya in Zaria. The murder took place since 2001 but the suspect fled and last week, we arrested him.

“There was also a feud between the youths of Kofar Kona and Amaru in the ancient city of Zaria where one Sadam Shehu was killed by one Shamsuddeen Lawal. Right now, we have arrested the suspect. On the violent hand’s amputation, we have on Thursday, February 23, 2012, arrested the prime suspect, Aci by name. This is to tell you that the police are on top of what is happening in Zaria.

“What we want is the continuous cooperation of the people. Those who commit crimes are usually in our midst; Therefore if people can volunteer information to the police, certainl we will get rid of them. Community leaders and parents have a special role to play in this regards. Parents have to ensure proper the training of their children, monitor their movement and the types of friends they keep. Community leaders have to assist the police by reporting acts of crime and those behind it. The Inspector General of Police has directed all his commissioners to be liaising with community leaders in the fight against crime. Here in Kaduna, our Commissioner has since passed the same directive to all the Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers.

A psychologist and Dean, School of Education, Federal College of Education (FCE), Zaria, Dr Ango Ladan, said youths engage in crime for temporary satisfaction.

“A lot of factors are responsible for acts like that of the Sara Suka. One of the factors is idleness of the youths. When youths are not engaged in useful activities, it leads to so many criminal activities. These criminal activities have many dimensions and implications. It has social, economic and psychological implications. These miscreants become what they are because they are not fully engaged. They are not engaged in government or private services; therefore a youthful mind has to engage itself in doing one thing or the other and the only available option is going into crime, especially through drug addiction. The other issue is poverty. It is true that some parents cannot train their children because they are poor. They cannot afford their school fees and other needs of life.

“This brings us to the other factor, which is failure of leadership. Leaders have to give the generality of the citizenry proper education and these youths are part of the general populace. Giving education does not necessarily mean formal education. Youths not opportuned to go to formal schools, can be made to learn different vocations. They can learn carpentry, welding or plumbing. Such vocations can engage them and stop them from criminal activities. Even our students in tertiary institutions. If we keep them idle, certainly they will engage in criminal activities. Therefore, the importance of assignments, presentations even group works are meant to engage the students as well as increase their knowledge.

“Idleness of the mind affects the body. Therefore, being that the activities of criminals are always physical yet it is the output of the mind. Taking revenge or committing crime is informed by deriving a temporary satisfaction. It is a group inclined action, which is always attached to certain motives. I know that cutting off the hand of that youth cannot just happen like that. My thinking is that it is either he was in the gang before or he has offended one of their members. Revenge in psychology is aimed at deriving temporary satisfaction or to teach an opponent a lesson. The general implication is on the society and this is why the society is the right set up that can fight such kind of crime,” Dr Ladan said.

The Zaria communities that have the higher records of the incidents of Sara Suka, according to our findings, include Jushi, Kofar Doka, Tudun Wada and some areas inside the ancient walls like Unguwan Juma, Limanci, Magajiya etcetera. Most of the incidents that result to the killing or maiming of residents were outcome of either inter or intra gang feud.

Believing that it is the responsibility of community leaders to counsel their wards to be of good behaviour, the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, at various fora usually emphasises the need to live in peace. It is, however, clear that such calls by Alhaji Idris, and that of other community leaders, usually go into deaf ears because the youths of the emirate are still engaging in criminal activities.

During an interview recently with the emir’s Chief Protocol Officer, Ciroman Shantalin Zazzau, Alhaji Abubakar Ladan, said the emir, Alhaji Idris, does not like anything that will disrupt the peace of the emirate.

“This is why you would see His Highness delivering peace talks. He loves peace and doesn’t like anything that will disrupt the peace of our communities,” Alhaji Ladan said.

Zaria residents have now found themselves in a double crossfire. While they are trying to cope with the general insecurity that is bedevilling the entire country, they are, as well, forced to think of the way forward over the issue of ‘Yan Sara Suka, who, unfortunately, are their own wards but causing havoc at their own door steps. What is certain, for now, is that the ‘Yan Sara Suka are, indeed, one of the major problems of Zaria. When will the ancient get over the disturbing trend? It is only time that will tell.