A concerned chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Abubakar Alkali has criticised the present administration over its alleged slow response to obvious insecurity and terrorist threats to Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital territory.
Dr. Alkali, in a statement, raised the alarm over what he described as the imminent danger and disturbing closeness of gunmen who have allegedly besieged Abuja from the four corners of the territory and the seeming slow response of the government to the insecurity and threat to residents.
The politician disclosed that Boko Haram, the dreaded terrorist group and ISWAP are now in alliance with armed bandits and are camped around the borders of Abuja and are only waiting for the right time to attack the capital.
According to him, “Abuja has now been effectively sandwiched by bandits and terrorists operating in the four states around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), namely Niger state to the West, Kogi to the South, Kaduna to the North and Nasarawa to the East. There is very little doubt that the next theatre of attack and main target is Abuja.
“The bandits are now well set and domesticated around Abuja and are living deep in the forests close to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
As a matter of fact, areas around Kuje, Lugbe and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport are allegedly being used by bandits to store weapons. No one can really fault the assertion that Abuja, FCT has now been surrounded by terrorists and bandits from the four angles through the border states of Nasarawa, Kaduna, Niger and Kogi.”
Alkali said the criminals hide guns, ammunition and other dangerous weapons in settlements around Abuja which are used for kidnapping and terrorist activities and he urged security agencies to rise up to the challenge by flushing them out without further delay.
“The urgent need arises for the military, the DSS and the Police to conduct a thorough forensic audit of all shanty settlements around Abuja to smoke out these criminals and confiscate the large number of AK-47 and other weapons they hide in these make-shift, shanty settlements.
“It is alleged that there are hundreds of AK-47 guns hidden in these shanty settlements around Abuja.
Because of the relatively tighter security in the FCT, the terrorists do not move openly with guns as they do in Zamfara and other states. “Also, the bandits don’t settle within the FCT City Centre due to the likelihood of them being identified. The option for them is to use shanty settlements in and around Abuja as camouflage and warehouse for weapons.”
Alkali said “the bandits’ modus operandi is to pick up an AK-47 from a shanty settlement, sneak into Abuja or it’s environs particularly Jabi Airport Road, Kwali, Kuje, Kubwa, Gwagwalada, Zuba/Suleja, Kwaita/Kwali, Bwari, Tungan Maje and kidnap innocent victims, then run back and keep the victims in the mountains and forests around the FCT.
“A highly vulnerable part of Abuja is Gwarinpa with its mix of a cosmopolitan and semi-urban nature. Gwarinpa is sandwiched between the FCT and Kubwa/Dei Dei/Zuba axis to the west which makes it a perfect beehive for bandits to settle in and plan attacks at Abuja.
“The push by our gallant military against the bandits from Zamfara has forced the bandits on a free flow all over Nigeria. Part of the options for the bandits while moving out of Zamfara is Abuja which the criminals regard as the final destination for huge ransom payments.”
He said “although for a very long time, even before the Zamfara military onslaught, the bandits have been strategising for Abuja -and the reason for this cannot be far-fetched. The bandits feel there is so much money in Abuja for huge ransom payments.
“These terrorist/bandits have actually established a solid presence around Abuja for a very long time in the forests around some parts of the FCT. It is fair to say that the military onslaught against the bandits particularly in Zamfara state has pushed them to pour in enmass into Abuja and the surrounding states of Nasarawa, Kogi and parts of Kaduna.”
Alkali observed that Niger state has been a hot bed of banditry for many years as the criminals connect into the state through the dreaded Kamuku/Kuyambana forest in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna state, pointing out that the notorious forest serves as a feeder-route into FCT, Niger, Kogi and other surrounding states as it receives supply and importation of terrorists from Zamfara, Katsina states and neighbouring Niger Republic.
He said the major source of worry should be the alliance of convenience between the bandits and Boko Haram/ISWAP.
“There is no doubting the fact that Boko Haram has established bases around the fringes of Abuja and any alliance between Boko Haram/Ansaru/ISWAP and bandits could potentially make Abuja inhabitable and by extension, render Nigeria ungovernable or at best extremely intractable.
“In Niger state, Boko Haram is currently in control of eight wards out of a total of 25 wards (1/3) of Shiroro Local Government Area, as confirmed by the Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello.
“The scenario looks even more disturbing when juxtaposed with the fact that Shiroro LGA shares borders with Abuja and is just 140 kilometers away from the nation’s capital.
“A lot of the criminals that are holding Shiroro LGA hostage are actually Boko Haram not bandits and to prove they are in charge, Boko Haram recently announced that it has introduced a policy in all communities under its control in Niger state which requires 12 year old girls to get married.
“It is also a fact that bandits are operating on the fringes of the Kuyambana forest in Birnin Gwari which shares border with Niger state. Boko Haram operating in Shiroro and the bandits operating on the fringes of Kuyambana forest brings the two criminal gangs closer to a full blown operational alliance and joint venture against Abuja.
“The operational closeness of Boko Haram and bandits is not only in Niger state but Nasarawa as well. The Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule had in January 2021 confirmed that Boko haram are now domiciled on the border between Nasarawa and Abuja FCT.
“Those elements of Boko haram who didn’t surrender to ISWAP are being pushed out of the North East and the most likely location for them to run to will be the North West/North Central axis which is also gradually turning into another Afghanistan.
“Apart from Boko haram, there is also the dreaded Darussalam sect and Ansaru in Nasarawa state. Ansaru operates between Nasarawa and Kogi states.
In a video that went viral early this year, an arrested bandit and kidnapper operating on the border between Nasarawa and Kogi states, confessed that his gang’s operational base shares a border with Boko Haram.
‘The notorious kidnapper in the video under reference also admitted that his gang has a joint venture with Boko Haram for a mutual bilateral cooperation where they exchange captives at a price.
“He further stated that whenever a ransom negotiation fails with the bandits, they sell the captives to Boko Haram where they (the captives) are thought to be at the ‘point of no return’
“By and large, the security agencies cannot afford to allow the deteriorating security situation in and around the FCT to degenerate further. Our gallant military, the police and other security agencies are doing a lot to stop the march of the bandits into Abuja but more needs to be done.
“Albeit, the military last week, debunked the claim that bandits have effectively surrounded Abuja, the FCT, the issue is more about being proactive rather than maintaining a state of denial,” Dr. Alkali observed.
