From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Residents of three communities situated along Abuja-Kaduna highway have said that if governor Nasir El-rufai made good his words to demolish and relocate their communities, politicians will lose over 70,000 votes during the 2023 general elections.
Governor El-Rufai had proposed the clearance and relocation of Katari, Rijana and Akilbu communities along the Kaduna-Abuja highway, saying that they harbour kidnappers and informants.
The governor spoke after receiving the first quarter 2022 security report between January and March, and lamented that Boko Haram, ISWAP and Ansaru terrorists have abandoned Sambisa forests in the Northeast for Kaduna forests
However, Fielding questions from Reporters shortly after addressing a press conference along other leaders of the two communities, President, Katari Community Development Association, Makeri Danjuma Mohammed said the population of the three communities have the voting capacity of over 70,000 votes in 2019 general elections.
“I can tell you that by estimation these three communities can provide over 70’000 votes during the general elections” He said.
Mohammed therefore warned that if the communities are demolished and residents are relocated, politicians canvassing for votes for 2023 general elections will lose such huge number of votes, “because in our conceived new settlements we will not have voting rights and we will not have a say in political activities”.
While addressing the press on Friday, the community leader said, “There are strong indications that some vested interests are bent on criminalizing our communities using all available possibilities at their disposal.
“To the best of our knowledge, our communities are not aware of the involvement of any of our members either directly or indirectly in any verifiable cases of banditry within and outside our communities. Thus the bogus allegation that we are collaborators of banditry is largely ruse, trivial and unfounded.
“Our communities were not given the benefit of doubt or any fair hearing with a view to establishing the veracity or otherwise of the weighty allegations leveled against us prior to His Excellency’s damaging public statement.
“Regrettably, the minds of many gullible members of the public have been conditioned to believe that every criminal occurrence on this highway is the handiwork of indigenes of either Katari, Akilbu or Rijana.
“Contrary to the induced negative narratives from questionable sources and one-sided news vendors, the inhabitants of these communities have severally been on the receiving end of banditry. Records abound to show that many of our people have been kidnapped, raped, maimed or killed by these bandits or terrorists.
Shockingly, many of our farmers cannot access their farms these days while others have to pay levies to bandits before they could access their farms.
“Presently, the village Head of Rijana (Mr. Ayuba Dodo Dakolo) and about 24 members of his community are in the hands of bandits. Similarly, twelve (12) members of the Katari Community including women and children are also in the hands of bandits.
“In April this year (2022), a former secretary to the defunct Akilbu District Mr. James Abu was gruesomely murdered by bandits on his farm. In the same vein, Martina John was kidnapped from Katari village, gruesomely murdered and her body dumped near Sabon Gayan in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State. Cases of such cold blooded murders of indigenes abound in our respective communities, all perpetrated by bandits
“Since the launching of Operation Puff Adder in Katari on 5/4/2019 by IGP Mohammed Adamu, successive police authorities have routinely organized elaborate press releases in Katari village where bandits arrested or captured from different locations in the entire North-West zone are paraded alongside captured arms before subsequently moved to Abuja for further necessary action. Regrettably, the public often misinterpret these elaborate parades to mean that all the paraded criminals are indigenous to Katari village.
“In one breath the Kaduna state Governor openly admits that the bandits ravaging communities in Kaduna state particularly the Abuja highway and Birnin Gwari axis are elements of the dreaded Boko Haram and Ansaru who are trying to establish bases and enclaves in Niger and Kaduna states because they consider Kaduna and Niger state forests very convenient for their operations.
“Sadly in another breath, the same Governor is ascribing terrorism/banditry to vulnerable peasant farmers and even threatening to either relocate or clear them entirely.
“The question is where is the verifiable evidence linking these vulnerable natives to banditry along the Abuja – Kaduna highway? And by the way why are communities like Birnin Gwari, Mararaban Jos with exceptional criminal notoriety not relocated to distant bushes? Why only Adara villages?
“The Police Division in Rijana is mandated to cater for the Rijana community and its environs within Kachia LGA as well as those from Chikun LGA that are within its reach like Kasarami, Quary, S/Sara, Audu Jangwon, etc.
“Sadly, when crimes are committed in communities in Chikun LGA are reported at the Rijana Police Division, they are often misinterpreted to imply that they are committed at Rijana which is in Kachia LGA.
“Perhaps, that partly explains why the attack on the Abuja – Kaduna bound passenger Train which took place near Dutse in Chikun LGA of Kaduna state was erroneously ascribed to Rijana and Katari communities.
“There is a major cattle route that emanates from the core North and traverses or crosses the Abuja – Kaduna highway at a spot near Katari. That very spot is convenient for bandit attacks on innocent commuters because of its undulating nature making distant visibility very difficult for motorists. Before you realize that an attack is going on, a commuter is already in their midst because of poor visibility from a distance.
“Unfortunately, the gullible public often assume that it is the Natives of the nearest village – Katari that are responsible for the attacks not knowing that they come from as far as Zamfara and Katsina states. People kidnapped at this particular spot are known to have been released at locations embedded in Birnin Gwari and Zamfara forests.
“The wholesale assumption that bandits get their information only from natives before launching their deadly attacks on the Abuja – Kaduna highway is largely unfounded and trivial. Are the bandits themselves not aware that there is a popular highway linking some states of the N/West to the Federal Capital? Are the bandits not conversant with the flash spots on the highway that are convenient for their operations? Again, bandits can get information from their kidnapped victims which are under duress.
“Records at our disposal are overwhelmingly indicative that government is fully aware of the movement of bandits, their bases and some of their financiers. The question then is why is the Federal government reluctant in authorizing a synchronized military action in the entire North-West to completely root out these terrorists since the passage of the law branding bandits as terrorists? Why chasing shadows instead of dealing with substances. Why is government interested in making vulnerable communities scapegoats while the real criminals are allowed to traverse the length and breadth of this country without hindrance?”
Mohammed however, recommended that
“there should be constructive engagement between relevant government agencies and critical stakeholders in the respective communities to foster a workable synergy in the fight against banditry in the area.
“All identifiable flash spots where bandits normally take undue advantage of to perpetrate their heinous acts should be placed under strict security control.
“Government should discreetly verify and cross check all security reports relating to our communities to ensure that they are not products of mere guess work or figments of some people’s subjective imagination concocted to please some vested interests.
“It is strongly advisable that no indigenous community on the Abuja – Kaduna highway should be relocated no matter the prompting. Rather, security in these communities should be upgraded to meet global standard in view of the strategic nature of this expressway”