President Tinubu and IGP Egbetokun

 

A faction of Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday, cautioned President Bola Tinubu on the handling of security challenges in the country.

The warning came as news emerged that terrorists, on Sunday night, abducted dozens of community members in Kajuru Local Council of Kaduna State.

Monday’s incident came less than two weeks after gunmen kidnapped over 280 school pupils and teachers in Kuriga, also in Kaduna State.

Reacting to the previous attack, President Tinubu, through Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, had affirmed that no ransom would be paid for the release of the victims.

In response to the abduction of 280 Kaduna schoolchildren on March 7, 2024, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo organisation, condemns the flagrant recklessness exhibited by Northern political elites .

“The unscrupulous demands for a ransom of N1billion to liberate the abducted Kaduna schoolchildren are but a ploy to ensnare you, to coerce you into subservience to Northern bandits and terrorists until the year 2027,” the group said in a statement by its Secretary General, Chidi Ibeh.

Ohanaeze said: “Do not succumb to the pressure from the Northern Elders Forum or the persuasive overtures of Sheikh Ahmad Gumi advocating for ill-advised negotiations with terrorists. Stand firm, for the fate of the nation hangs in the balance. Remember the dire consequences of yielding to such insidious tactics: a nation compromised; a people in peril.

“This is your moment to wield both gentle diplomacy and resolute force in vanquishing the scourge of insecurity. Any semblance of capitulation will embolden the perpetrators, embroiling the nation in a cycle of payouts and concessions, entwined in the web of Northern potentates who seek to perpetuate their grip on power.”

The group added: “The Southern masses stand steadfastly with you, President Tinubu, urging you to navigate this treacherous terrain with steadfast courage and resolute determination. We entreat you to be the beacon of unwavering resolve, the embodiment of strength and leadership.”

Not less than 87 people were reportedly kidnapped in Kajuru.
Security operatives were said to have begun searching bushes in the area to rescue the victims.

A Nigerian soldier takes position within attacked school premises.Photo:WFMZ.com

A member of a group called the Kajuru-Station Youths, Harisu Dari, confirmed the incident to journalists in Kaduna, yesterday.
Dari said the attackers also broke into some shops and stole food items and other valuables.

He said the community was invaded at about 10.00 p.m.
Barely two days earlier, gunmen had attacked the Dogon-Noma community, also in the local council, and abducted 15 women and a man.
Dari said no contact had yet been established with the 87 persons.

“As of the time I visited the community, security operatives had not been drafted to help restore the confidence of the villagers. The villagers were traumatised by the sad development. The government needs to re-strategise in tackling these terrorists,” he said.

The Kaduna State Police Command, however, disputed the figures.
Spokesperson, ASP Mansir Hassan, who also confirmed the development to The Guardian on the telephone, said: “The figure of those kidnapped in the community is not up to what people are speculating.”

He explained: “The unfortunate incident happened in the early hours of today (Monday), and our men are on the ground in the area on a search and rescue mission. They are hunting the kidnappers. The terrain in the area is difficult. There is no mobile network in the village. Our men are on the ground, and they are trying to establish order in the area.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian military, yesterday, reacted to allegations that soldiers killed over 50 persons in Okuama community, Ughelli South Local Council, Delta State, describing the claims as “propaganda”.

A community member had told reporters: “The army left, but within a while, they came back with more reinforcement, gunboats, and other things. And instantly, about 20 persons were killed. And when they came back again, they began to shoot. They killed nothing less than 50 persons on that day. Then, the following day, they mobilised again, some from Bomadi, Okwagbe. They came together and burned the entire community down. That was on March 15.”
But the Director of Army Public Relations, Major Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement, said: “The unfortunate killing of troops of 181 Amphibious Battalion of the Nigerian Army, while on a peaceful and mediatory mission, after a reported case of communal clash between Okuama and Okoloba communities in Ughelli South and Bomadi Councils of Delta State respectively is not only despicable but should be unreservedly condemned by all.

“These were troops committed to peace and security of life and property of citizens and non-citizens alike in the Niger Delta region, murdered in cold blood by an armed youth gang in the most gruesome, heartless and cruel manner. And they went ahead to sacrilegiously debase their remains by ripping out their hearts.

“Regrettably, the community complicit in this dastardly act has resorted to media propaganda and shenanigans, rather than engage in a positive effort to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime. This, again, is a clear indication that the murder of the troops was a communally orchestrated attack against legitimate forces.”

According to Nwachukwu, “the falsehood being peddled by these criminals and their cohorts to whip up sentiments and sway the public to cover up, endorse, or support the outrageous criminal acts of their armed youth gang should be disregarded in its entirety.

“It is only a ridiculous attempt at justifying their crime, rather than turning in themselves to security agencies. No amount of propaganda would arm-twist the narrative. They are complicit and must be ready to face the wrath of the law.”

He said: “While law-abiding citizens are assured that there will be no reprisal on the part of the troops, we enjoin all to go about their normal activities, even as ongoing efforts are scaled up to positively identify and isolate the criminals and make them account for their atrocious deeds.”

Relatedly, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, yesterday, visited the military Joint Task Force (JTF) and the embattled community to assess the extent of the destruction, five days after the incident.
He was received by the leader of the JTF, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division Nigeria Army, Major General Jamaal Abdulsalam.

He had a closed-door meeting with Abdulsalam which lasted hours.
The JTF barred journalists from covering the governor’s assessment tour of the troubled community.

Also, in the last two weeks, more than 200 terrorists were reportedly killed by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) and Community Watch Corps (CWC) in Katsina State.

Information and Culture Commissioner, Bala Zango, who made the disclosure, also said a notorious terrorist leader, Kachalla Maude, was neutralised.

In a statement, Zango said Maude was killed by the Civilian JTF on the night of March 15.
“The Civilian JTF, supported by security agents, staged an ambush for the terrorist group led by Kachalla Maude at Garin Rinji, a village in the western part of Batsari Local Council. The JTF rained heavy fire on the terrorists, leading to the capture of the gang leader, Kachalla Maude.

“Maude and his group have been terrorizing the western part of Batsari Local Council. He confessed to having led attacks on several communities along the Batsari/Danmusa axis, which led to the death of hundreds of innocent people. He also confessed to having collected over N130 million from victims’ families as ransom,” said Zango.

He added that dozens of abducted persons were also rescued.