A 50-minute British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary titled ‘The Bandit warlords of Zamfara’ has exposed the modus operandi of bandits and the chain of beneficiaries of their loots as one of the leaders revealed that insecurity has become a business everyone benefits from.
Abu Sanni, who spoke on a range of issues, including the genesis of insecurity in Zamfara State, explained why banditry will not end and how 279 schoolgirls were kidnapped in Jangebe, Talata-Mafara Local Government Area of the state.
Explaining how kidnapping has become a lucrative business for both the kidnappers and government officials among other beneficiaries, Sanni alleged that government was a major beneficiary of the horrific attacks they unleash on the society.
The documentary ‘BBC Africa Eye’ was recorded by a journalist, Yusuf Anka who toured remote bandit camps in a forest in Zamfara. Yusuf also interviewed other bandit leaders in the camps he visited.
It was, however, not clear if Sanni was referring to the Federal Government or the Zamfara State Government or both. But he insisted that kidnapping has since become a lucrative business for all the actors.
On 279 kidnapped schoolgirls in Jangebe, Sanni revealed it was a revenge mission to teach government a lesson following military attack on his group.
“When the rainy season ended, they sent the military after us. We decided to show the government they should not interfere in our problems. We went to Jangebe and took the students. We wanted to get the government angry. We demanded N300 million but after negotiations, N60 million was paid for their release.”
Curiously, Sanni made a ‘doomsday’ ruling for Nigeria when he stressed that blood splitting would continue. And that is because everybody is benefitting from their loot and therefore the beneficiaries do not want the kidnapping to end soon.
“Because it has become a business. Everyone wants money. That is why things are deteriorating, from the top to the bottom. They say when there is insecurity, the government gets money. Everyone is benefitting. We also get money. Though for our money, blood is split, so it continues.”