For more than four years the security agencies were unable to get a handle on the murderous activities of armed bandits who have been on the rampage across the North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones, killing, raping, kidnapping for ransom, stealing livestock and imposing illegal taxes on farmers.
Like locusts from the pit of hell, the criminals foisted a reign of terror across the areas where they operated, forcing thousands of Nigerians to desert their once serene and peaceful communities.
The effects of their brazen activities on the social and economic landscapes of the North-West and North-Central are obvious. Vast swathes of agrarian land have been left uncultivated for too long, thereby causing an inevitable slump in food production and unprecedented hikes in the prices of basic food items.
Thousands of people have been displaced from their homes. Thousands more were living in fear, their economic lives totally disrupted and uncertain about the future, until Providence deemed it fit to turn the tide against their tormentors.
Hitherto reeling under a crisis of confidence, the military was suddenly galvanised into greater action after the hallowed premises of the Nigerian Defence Academy was desecrated by a gang of bandits who shot two officers and abducted one for ransom.
Realising the direct implication of the criminals’ audacious attack on the institution, which until then was generally believed to be the safest in the country, the military rose like the truly wounded lion it should be and launched a massive offensive aimed at wiping out banditry and restoring sanity to the affected parts of northern Nigeria and more important, freedom to the people who have borne the brunt of banditry all the while.
Backed by aerial support from the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Army does not look like it is going to relent in its efforts to wipe off banditry. A total shutdown of GSM communications in the states most affected by the activities of bandits, especially Zamfara State, has taken the war to another dimension, a potentially devastating one for the criminals.
In the words of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Farouk Yahaya, Nigerian troops are currently winning the war against banditry in the North-West and North-Central.
The Army recently claimed its troops eliminated no fewer than 391 bandits and arrested about 60, including bandits’ informants and collaborators, in various operations across both geo-political zones in one month.
Giving an update on the military operations in Abuja, the Acting Director, Defence Media Operation, Brig-Gen Bernard Onyeuko, disclosed that between September 2 and September 30, Nigerian troops under Operation Hadarin Daji, killed 240 bandits, while aerial bombardment on enclaves of the criminals at different locations in Zamfara led to the deaths of no fewer than 53 bandits, while several others escaped with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.
Onyeuko also said that troops recovered 125 assorted arms including AK-47 and FN rifles, dane guns and 1,166 rounds of 7.62mm special/NATO ammunition.
According to him, apart from leading to the arrest of scores of bandit collaborators and informants, the operations had also drastically weakened the operational capability of the criminals, denied them the freedom to act as they wished and frustrated their efforts to move arms, ammunition and other illegal items around. This is joyful news, no doubt and such that gives cause for celebration across the country.
The Nigerian military deserves to be applauded for these uncommon achievements and for its gallant efforts at ridding the country of the menace of bandits. Of course, buoyed on the successes achieved in the battlefield, Nigerians can now look forward to the restoration of sanity to those parts of the country that have been under siege from these criminals.
It is also sweet news to the ear that the war against Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents in the North-East has begun to yield some positive results. There have been reports about scores of Boko Haram fighters surrendering to Nigerian troops. Whether they did so voluntarily or were forced by the relentless firepower of the latter does not matter. What matters is that the military has finally shown it is capable of dealing effectively with actions that constitute a serious threat to security and peace.
There is no denying the fact that ever since the military stepped up its efforts to fight insecurity on all fronts, there have been far less kidnaps than witnessed in the past across the country, especially in parts of the North. There is also an indication that public confidence in the military is gradually being restored.
We salute the courage and bravery of Nigerian troops who are daily sacrificing their lives to ensure the security of lives and property. At the same time, we urge the military not to relent in its efforts to totally secure Nigeria from terrorists and other dangerous criminals.
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