Gruesome murders in Niger

•Killers on rampage in Bosso, Tunga, Tudunfulani, Maitumbi, Barkin-saleh, Sauka-kafuta, Shango, Chanchaga suburbs

From John Adams, Minna

The peaceful atmosphere hitherto enjoyed in Minna, Niger State, is fading away. It is being usurped by a surge in crimes of different manifestations that have left the city’s residents in fear, pains and anguish.

Beyond the incidents in the state capital, the same uncertain experiences are common in nearby towns. Bosso, Tudunfulani, Maitumbi, Tunga, Barkin-saleh, Sauka-kafuta, Shango, Chanchaga suburbs are also passing through a similar fate.

Largely perpetrated by a number of gangs, the youths assault, maim and kill their victims with ease and uncommon delight. In the day, the story of the residents is bad enough, but at night the tale becomes a cold, terrifying nightmare.

Investigation by Daily Sun indicates that the gangs operate mostly between 8:00pm and 11:00pm. In those hours, just after dusk, they rob their targets of their happiness.

They lurk along dark, lonely paths and corners, striking those that are trekking home. Sometimes, a gang member fronts as a commercial motorcycle operator, with their collaborators posing as passengers. But as soon as they ride to a vulnerable spot, they pounce on their victims’ phones, cash and other valuables.

All of these have forced residents  to rarely close their two eyes to a good sleep. Many have had to cut down their movement at night. Even the hours of regular business have been shortened as residents strive to reach their homes in good time.

Abba Usman recalled a recent fight that snowballed into theft and stealing: “What happened started like a mere street fight between youths, who are referred to as ‘Anwuar’ in Hausa. They engaged one another in a fight. But soon after the fight morphed into full-blown occasion for robbery and theft.

“All of a sudden, they withdrew to their strategic locations and embarked on dispossessing unsuspecting victims of their valuables. Any attempt to resist them resulted in death. You were either stabbed with a knife or a cutlass.

“While police and other security agencies were able to bring the street fight under control, they (criminal gangs) moved down and restricted themselves to their areas of residence (Angwar) where they continued to unleash terror on people almost on a daily basis.”

Killed by the gangs

While the number of victims killed in the last one year remains unspecified, the recent killing of a retired permanent pecretary, Adamu Jagaba, right in his block industry was a manifestation of the criminalities. His assailant allegedly trailed him to his block industry. The killer went away with his Mercedes Benz car but was later arrested by detectives.

There was also the killing of a middle age man in Fadipe, Minna. The deceased was returning from the market at about 8:00pm on the day he was stabbed multiple times. That was after he resisted their attempts to rob him of his mobile phone and cash.

Murtala Hassan, a tailor and resident of Barkin Saleh, was gruesomely murdered while returning home from his shop recently. The gang stole his mobile phone and cash. His death came barely three days after the police arrested three youths in connection with the killing of a man, Usman Abubakar of Sauka Kafuta, a suburb of Minna.

In addition, a 28-year-old fruit seller at M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate Junction, Tunga, Minna, Mohammed Salihu was killed by the gangs on his way home at about 9: 30pm after the close of business.

He was trailed from his business spot and accosted at the Minna North By-Pass along El-Amin International School Road, where he was stabbed to death after which they collected his mobile phone and cash.

Yahaya Mohammed Usman, aka Sai Baba, in his Facebook post, titled, “Cautionary words for Governor Bago,” lamented the gruesome killing of a young man at a filling station over a mere argument: “No state will withstand destruction and taking of lives,”  describing the dreadful killing of the young man as one killing too many. He urged the state government to take steps to wipe off the menace.

 Why the crime surge?

Daily Sun gathered that the spike in criminal activities was linked to the wave of banditry and kidnapping. In the last decade, about 15 of the 25 local government areas of the state have been under the siege of criminal tendencies resulting in wanton destruction of lives and loss of properties, in addition to payment of millions of naira in ransom by families seeking the release of their loved ones.

Equally, local farmers have also been forced to abandon their farms and relocate from their ancestral homes to seek refuge in IDP camps.

Mohammed Inuwa, a security expert, said: “This new dimension to the security challenges will further under develop the state and reduce its economic potential.”

Ibrahim Mohammed, a lawyer: “Minna has lost its peace to the wicked ones. The current hardship in the country and the lack of parental care are all contributory factors to the growing crimes among the youths in the state.” 

Security efforts

The state government launched a security concept “Operation Flush” especially to check street fight among youth gangs. But there is more to done.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Wasiu Abiodun, however, insisted: “Crime rate is low in the state,” He urged the public not panic as urban crime rate was low.”