Mohammed Munirat Nasir, Gusau , Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo and Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Operation Hadari Daji (OPHD) killed 20 bandits in Zamfara State, yesterday, while 15 people perished in multiple attacks in the Tiv/Jukun crisis in Taraba State.
OPHD Force Commander, Major General Jide Jellil Ogunlade, disclosed routing of the bandits in Zamfara to newsmen at the operational headquarters in Gusau,
Bandits were also given given 24 hours to lay down their arms and surrender or face serious fire by the troops fighting banditry in the state.
“As from tomorrow onwards, we are going out on serious onslaught against the bandits in the forest; we will not allow them to come out of the forest, to avoid collateral damages.”
“After this operation that will come up in the next 24 hours, we will ensure that farmers carry out their farming activities and displaced villagers return home under conducive atmosphere,” he added.
Ogunlade assured the people of the state that banditry will soon be history in Zamfara.
“We are going to take the war to the bandits in the forest because their actions show they are unrepentant,” he said.
Meanwhile, 15 people died in the ongoing communal clashes between Jukun and Tiv, in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State, during attacks on some villages and subsequent roadblocks by tribal militias.
Chairman of Wukari Local Government, Mr. Daniel Adi, confirmed that there was attack on Rafin Kada and Tor Musa villages, in the early hours of yesterday, leading to the death of five people
“I can confirm to you that some Tiv youths attacked Rafin Kada this morning (yesterday) and burnt down several houses. They also laid ambush at Tor Musa village where they killed about five persons. I heard about the blocking of the road and killing of travellers while we were at Rafin Kada.
“We moved there immediately with a truck load of soldiers but there was nothing like that”.
However, a witness said at least 10 people were killed by tribal militias who blocked the Wukari Jalingo Road, at Takum Junction and attacked vehicles traversing the road.
The Police Public Relations Officer, David Misal, said he could only confirm the death of one person, at a village attacked by some youths believed to have crossed from Benue State.
It was also not cheery news in Borno State as at least 7, 000 people are suffering from mental illness fuelled by their tragic and traumatic experiences during the Boko Haram violence in the affected northeast states.
Chief Medical Director of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, Dr Ibrahim Wakawa, told Daily Sun that many people in the three North East states affected by Boko Haram violence suffer mental challenge, after several days of thinking about and relieving their experiences in the hands of the insurgents.
“The violence has brought what we call ‘post traumatic stress disorder’ in which victims will be thinking and relieving their tragic experiences in the hands of Boko Haram; even when the experiences have gone for some time.
“The victims will find it difficult to live the way they used to do. When such situation predominates, it predisposes such persons to major mental issue,” Wakawa explained.
He said depression is also common among people, especially in Borno, birthplace of Boko Haram and theatre of insurgency.
Wakawa disclosed that many people who have lost family members and means of livelihood now live at the camps for displaced persons; a situation which he said constantly reminds the victims of their good days in their communities.