Bandits may have taken the war to Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, who have vehemently opposed amnesty or negotiation with the bandits ravaging the northwest, Nigeria. The Kaduna governor had sustained advocacy for full military operation to wipe away the bandits from the northwest. The bandits appeared to have been provoked by the position of the Kaduna governor and have intensified their activities in Kaduna State to possibly make the state ungovernable.
The bandits had on Monday ambushed the convoy of the Emir of Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, Alhaji Zubairu Maigwari, on the way to Kaduna.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, had in a statement on Wednesday disclosed that “the official vehicle of the Emir was shot by bandits at about 4.30pm on Monday on the Zonkoro axis of the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road, in Chikun Local Government Area.
Aruwan disclosed that the Emir was on the journey with his driver and orderly, a Police Inspector, on their way to Kaduna when the bandits struck. He, however, said that no life was lost.
Bandits in another operation, barricaded a bridge leading to Kitansa Village in Kauru Local Government where they shot one Danladi Goriye to death; another victim, Sunday Garba, was left with gunshot wounds.
Another gang of armed bandits also barricaded the Buruku-Mando road in Igabi Local Government Area, where they shot directly at vehicles on transit on the road. The bandits were said to have killed one Abdullahi Baballe, a resident of the Lema area in Mando.
The Internal Security Commissioner, however, revealed that troops of Operation Safe Haven caught a suspected bandit informant, Muhammad Sani Abubakar, at Apyimbuu Village in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area, who was handed over to the Police for investigation.
Also, the Police were said to have apprehended two brothers suspected to be gun runners, Abdullahi Samaila and Adamu Samaila, from Toro village in Bauchi State, along the Kaduna-Saminaka road with 150 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition concealed in the door of their vehicle.
The suspects were said to have confessed to supplying ammunition to three suspects arrested by security operatives – Marcus Danladi, Danjuma Dachi, and Ibrahim Haruna – who were arrested in late February – in Plateau State. They were said to further supply the ammunition to one Usman – aka Gurgu – in Kaduna State.
They were arrested with 1,565 rounds of ammunition on February 28th. Thereafter, one Suleiman Tukur and his son, Shuaibu Suleiman, were said to be arrested in Karahi in possession of 231 rounds; they were identified as members of the syndicate.