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The traditional ruler of the troubled Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Emir Zubair Jibril Mai-Gwari II, has said that the armed bandits terrorising his domain are now hungry and easy to defeat with more security efforts.
The emir stated this in his palace while playing host to Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Ali Aji Janga, who paid a familiarisation and operational visit to the local government.
Birnin-Gwari has over the years been troubled by armed robbers, kidnappers, cattle rustlers and bandits, who have killed and maimed hundreds in the area.
The emir, who was delighted with the visit of the police commissioner, expressed confidence that with a more serious operation against the bandits, they will be defeated.
He also appealed to the police commissioner to regulate the activities of a group identified as security volunteers, saying, they are suspected to be informants to the criminals.
According to the emir, “The bandits are only carrying out their operations in secluded areas where there are small markets stalls and steal food in order to survive; they are hungry, they don’t have time to kill people again.
“If the police should re-strategise, little effort will only be needed to scrape them all. They don’t have much weapons, (and) they are hidden in obvious hideouts.
“The vigilant groups are also very helpful and they are playing very vital roles in the fight against crime in the local government, but the police should look into putting an end to the help of volunteers.
“They over-react to situations and cause more damage in situation. The police should sit with them, get the good ones and recruit them to work together with the vigilantes.
“We now have three extra police divisions in the local government, we earlier have four, the police personnel are not much, but they are trying their best possible to curtail any kind of criminal activity in the local government.
However, Commissioner of Police Janga assured that the issue of banditry will soon become an issue of the past in the area, as a simultaneous raid in all the states under armed bandit attacks is in the pipeline.
“The problem of banditry in Birnin Gwari is one among the major problems we have at heart; we would be fully prepared and come to synergy with the vigilante groups and raid their hideouts.
“We assure the people of Birnin Gwari that the issue of banditry in the local government will soon become an issue of the past. We will go after them into the bush. We will engage them and blood will flow.
“A week ago, we met with the Inspector General of Police at Abuja, he spoke on concrete plans, especially for Birnin Gwari, to curtail the criminal activities and banditry in the area and others states in Nigeria facing such problems of insecurity.
“The comprehensive operations order would be carried out simultaneously in Birnin Gwari and other states affected by similar challenges across Nigeria,” Janga assured.
The CP equally met and solicited the cooperation of the local government chairman, Alhaji Garba Gambo Randagi, and leaders of Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) in the war against the bandits.
