People living nearby in the Alkaleri Local Government of Bauchi State are being scared by people with high-tech weapons who are thought to be terrorists.
At least ten individuals, according to local police, were killed, and locals are being kidnapped daily as others evacuate the area’s villages in great numbers out of fear for their safety.
Sa’adu Jibrin, a councilor for Maimadi ward, which is one of the terrorized villages, says that the attacks in the area haven’t stopped.
“Ransom kidnapping is now a common practice.” About 30 people were kidnapped in less than 20 days, and the lowest ransom was N2 million. Within a few weeks, they killed at least eleven people.
“Now that the region has oil, more individuals will want to invest there, but that can only happen if the area is safe.” A family leader whose residence is less than one kilometer from the location where President Muhammadu Buhari officially opened the oil drilling was abducted by the gunmen after they traveled to the oil drilling site. After the president’s visit, the kidnapping took place. In that precise spot, two people were abducted.
They abducted his wife and killed one person in the Mai-Arin Kudu community. We had barely arrived from Gombe when they assassinated a youth leader in Zadawa. They shot at him up to seven times before taking off with his mother and older sister. They murdered a parent in the Mai-Arin-Aware village and then fled with their son. He claimed they murdered a vigilante leader in the Garfatu neighborhood and abducted his daughter.
Every day, locals leave for safety. The residents’ concerns about how to handle the matter are the few criticisms we do get. Many have suggested that the recent oil discoveries in the region are to blame for the increase in attacks, but Mr. Jibrin suggested that may not be the case.
He claimed that Yankari Wildlife Reserve, maybe Nigeria’s most well-known game reserve, and the Alkaleri Local Government share a border. He claimed that the jungle is where the gunmen hide.
He went on to say that the gunmen, who are not from the area, are doing the kidnappings by using local informants in our neighborhoods.
Over a thousand homes have left.
The Alkaleri local government area oversees the three districts of Pali, Gwana, and Duguri, each with its own district head.
The Pali district is where the oil field is. Locals are escaping to Alkaleri Town, which serves as the local council’s administrative center, as well as to nearby Gombe State and Misau Local Government Area.
A traditional leader who asked to remain anonymous because he was afraid for his safety said that at least 1,000 households had left the districts.
Jada, Mai Arin-Kudu, Dani, Kufa, Bubu, Papa, Kuturun Kuka, and Tudun Wadan Jada, Zadawa, and Bambu were among the Pali district communities he named as being affected.
Gachiri, Maimadi, Shugu, Garfatu, Mai Arin-Arewa, Dakai, Maso Kano, Kwanan Kuka, Yola, and Bakin Ruwa, according to him, are some of the other towns.
The traditional head in the Gwana district named Mansur, Baladde, Magasa, Gurabayi, Diji Bunga, Gwanan Dutse, Sabon Gari, Garin, Bagobiri, Garin Bano, Jamari, and Garin Juba as some of the impacted communities.
Others, according to him, are Yalo, Sankali, Alkali Sule, Kargo, Digare, and Kwal Kwal.
The traditional elder was upset that security forces at checkpoints were taking advantage of people who were running away for safety.
In Futuk town alone, he claimed there are three security checkpoints, and the least people are expected to pay is N10,000 per car. Residents fleeing to neighboring Gombe State, he claims, must pass through at least ten security checkpoints.
It’s a horrible circumstance. A legislator
Musa Mohammed, who is a member of the House of Representatives and works for the Alkaleri/Kirfi Federal Constituency, said that the situation was terrible.
But he added that steps are being taken to resolve the issue.
Mr. Muhammad claimed that, in his capacity as a lawmaker, he has informed the government’s executive branch of potential remedies.
The topic has been discussed in the House. There has been persistent local insecurity for a very long period. Every time the security forces deal with the criminals in the Plateau areas, they retreat to my district and use the Gwana district as a safe haven.
“The problem can be solved if the security forces tackle all the problems in the neighboring communities from Plateau and Bauchi states at once.”
“The problem has existed since before the start of oil exploration in the region. Every time we observe an increase in attacks in our communities, it is because of pressure from the security forces in Plateau State’s Wase region.
“The Plateau and Bauchi states are obliged to conduct security operations in tandem. “Because of the dire circumstances, we, the government, must act quickly,” the lawmaker told PREMIUM TIMES.
The congressman asked for more security in the Bauchi axis to stop gunmen from neighboring states from coming in.
Police release kidnapped people.
Muhammed Wakil, the police spokesperson in Bauchi, could not be reached for comment on the rising level of unrest in the region. But in a statement to reporters on Thursday, Mr. Wakil confirmed that kidnapped people in the area had been saved.
The police say that on December 7, three people from Gurtum village in the Pali district of the Alkaleri local government area were taken during a raid at night by people who might have been kidnappers.
So, the Divisional Police Officer of the Maina-Maji Division quickly put together a team of police officers and other local vigilantes for a coordinated action.
“When the kidnappers arrived on the site and spotted the agents, they started firing.” The kidnappers fled with their hostages after being forced to flee by the agents’ persistent firing, which caused the kidnappers to run away with possible gunshot wounds.
The victims were all saved without incident and were reunited with their families, proving that the operation was effective. According to a police statement, the victims were Hafsatu Sa’idu, 35; Adama Sule, 28; and Maryam Sa’idu, 14, all of Gurtum Village Pali District, Alkaleri LGA, Bauchi State.
The Gombe, Taraba, and Plateau states all share a border with the Alkaleri Council, and because of the steep hills in the border region, it is possible for criminals to conceal and launch attacks at random.
President Buhari signaled the start of the first crude oil drilling project in Alkaleri last month.
The Kolmani River II Well on the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin, in the northeastern portion of the country, was where the NNPC declared the discovery of hydrocarbon resources in October 2019.
The commercial quantity discovery was the first in the area after repeated attempts to find crude oil in the Upper Benue Trough.
