Edo Attacks: The Masquerades behind the Panorama
By Eben Enasco Kingsley
Across notable
conventional dailies and citizens’ report have in its riders touchy and somewhat
provocative captions of wanton killings, families mourning, and unwholesome
kidnappings with the state gradually sliding into sympathetic avalanche.
The security apparatus
now dialogue in emptiness and losing touch with modern day facilities to avert
the marauding few elements who rely on adopting harmless citizens to meet their
daily demands.
Although, the men in
uniform are more than willing to throw their lives in by all estimations in
ensuring that the citizenry are protected but they get more discouraged when
the few monies voted end up in mighty hands.
The big-bang masquerades
are involved. They play major role in it. They avail themselves uncommon wealth
through the act. They believe and dwell in it. They think killings and have no
Mercy! They plan and lay siege on government itself. When they are not favored,
they form illegal government. They employ thugs and create parallel government
runs alongside their allies.
At no time will a sane
government wished that its fails in their electioneering campaign promises except
those who do not have genuine affiliation with the people.
Today not many people
can sleep with their two eyes closed. You have to almost ask God to physically
come down and watch over you when embarking on a journey through the various
outlets from the city capital.
Cruel kidnappers seem to be desperate in
their determination to spread their devilish mission across Nigeria. These days, kidnappers of the
Fulani stock are on the prowl. When they strike, they leave behind sorrow,
tears and blood.
In continuation
of their ungodly escapades, these criminals are spreading their tentacles to
more parts of Nigeria. Particularly, Edo State has become their recent territory.
Innocent citizens are their easy prey. This unhealthy development has unsettled
many residents, especially in the two Ovia’s and the Akoko Edo residence, where
they have been holding sway, brazenly carrying out their onslaughts in recent
times.
Following
arrests, some of the kidnappers have narrated how they rape, kill and even
drink the blood of their victims, sometimes after collecting ransom. They seem
to have taken over the business of kidnapping for ransom, which, until a few
years ago, was common with criminals from the Niger Delta, South-East and
South-West.
These bandits
have abducted people in other states like Ekiti, Delta, Oyo, Ondo, Kogi, Enugu,
Benue, Kaduna and other states, even in broad daylight. They ambush
unsuspecting targets and whisk them away in a commando manner.
The kidnappers also target policemen and soldiers to collect
their arms and uniforms needed for their operations. Many of them are notorious
and kidnap for ransom. Some members of these gangs also rape and kill their
victims even after collecting ransom from their families. Those released are
left to live with emotional trauma.
Unlike the typical herdsmen, these Fulani kidnappers are in
possession of sophisticated firearms and ammunition
Recalling the past attacks in Edo Communities
Taking a precise look at
it from the beginning of the wrecked havoc, you will agree with me that those
outcries of the innocent communities have been ignored in most occasions. In
Oben community, orhionmwon LGA some say it was a fluke.
Then a cleric with
church of God mission that was murdered in Odighi community also had the same
assumption. The hysterics situation paraded by the forest-wheeler lingers on
with barely any effort to trunk off the prevalence of these alien in the
forest.
The herdsman
had reportedly invaded communities’ farmlands, killed farmers, destroys crops
and raped women. Already, tension has continued to build up in the area as the
herdsmen were reported to have accused the communities of being behind the
deaths of their cows and colleagues.
But then, those who complains of cow killed and
subsequently take revenge on land owners should be more feared. They posses’
elements that is unthinkable. If they can kill and maimed land owners right
before their ancestral abode, it is a case of no hold bare,
My
Experience
I hardly parley
anyone who parades falsehood to gainer cheap popularity. I have had course to
listen to some persons who had encountered these gory scene but never totally believed
when they do their narratives.
But at exactly
3:30 pm August 9, 2018, i changed my perception about those who had encountered
these bush wheelers. Death beckoned but God cleverly outsmarted the dreaded
force of this armed gang. For me it seems it was the end. It was grubby and
very close.
The truth
is that we had finished the inauguration of the Owan East (Afuse) branch of the
practicing Butchers Association and head back from the successful ceremony.
Just by
the slope of Okhou-Iguahienmwen near Obadan community in Uhunmwode Local
Government Area, we rammed into the waiting hands of an operation carried out
by suspected Fulani herders.
They had
cut off coming vehicles. We were caved in front and back of us. We heard gun
shots at every ranging seconds. They shot at every available space sporadically
with pellets spinning in all directions
I immediately
recalled the late football commentator, Earnest okonkwo when he inscribed the word”inter-ballistic
missiles’ to describe a thunderous shot from Friday Ekpo of the green eagles. It
was similar of sort the shooting guns!
The
driver managed to swerve the car into the bush. We had to scamper for safety.
But unknowingly
that they also laid siege in the bush the spinning pellets cut shot the active
agility of the sergeant police escort attached to government house and he died
on the spot.
We managed
to escape the scavengers but got unlucky with the vice chairman Natty Iyamu
whom we earlier thought was dead since we could not here from him even when we
try to call his phones.
The police
in their own rights tried to rescue him but all in futility. This time more men
of the security operatives were detailed to back up. But it was getting late
and we retrieved on the search immediately considering the danger posed.
Before long,
we got a call that Natty who had earlier got missing was in the hands of the
suspected kidnappers.
Our confidence
was a bit restored with the hope that he is alive. They requested for over ten
million as ransom to free him. After negotiations and underground work they
agreed to free him for a million naira ransom. He spent over three days in the
hands of his adaptors.
Unveiling
the masquerades
Many a
time we were told by government that our soldiers were ambushed and killed by
boko- haram. It makes us wonder what they mean by that. From a reliable source
we gathered that their operations are in bond with security personnel in one of
the military barracks in the state who availed then firsthand information on
every proposed attack by government.
The same
source revealed that while state government made attempt to reinforce and
rescue us, a member of the security personnel called one of the armed bandits
to reveal anticipated plans. So it would have been easier to bed all of us with
their sophisticated guns that night.
According
to the source; ‘“They bear rifles. If you see two of them rearing 40 cows, they
will have two AK47 rifles. I learnt AK7 sells for about N4 million. If two
people rearing about 40 cows can handle two AK47 rifles of about N8 million; it
means there is government behind them.
‘’They
have over fourthy camps around the communities where they maraud from a point
to another. They are all over the place. They move round about the community
boundaries particularly, through high tension cable power lines. Whatever monies they collect they use it to order
for more bullets to replace the ones they wasted’’.
‘’Some military
officers are part of the attacks. They supply those guns and bullets. They also
have somebody in Ankara market Aduwawa who avail them relevant information. The
ones who rears cow are the same also kidnapping and killing people.
Continuing
he said, “I paid One Million to get out of their dent. Before that money was
giving to them they contacted an army officer in one of the barracks in Edo
state to supply bullets worth two hundred thousand which amount to thirty packs
to replace the wasted bullets. Among them is a dismissed army sergeant who
trains them. They are professionals. In the evenings they come out with their motorcycles
to by food at Egba community Junction. Every Sunday they come out in numbers
and stay in one of the hotels around same Egba Junction. They enjoy themselves
with women. There is a woman who makes food for them at Egba junction.
He also
noted that from the monies collected as ransom, they send part of it contacting
their protégés in Kano to supplier more cows and men. “I can tell you everybody
in those camps is all Fulani’s. Every one of them is equipped with a raffle. When
they go out to attack they live behind some of their men, who guides their cows
in the bush, some of the people they kidnapped who could not pay them ransom
were killed” he quipped.
It is of note that killings between
farmers and herdsmen have been ongoing for years. From the Southern Kaduna
crisis started like every other crisis between the two parties which erupted
after a mismanagement of the destruction episode in Godogodo community
“Muslim farmers and Muslim pastoralists
fight as well as Katsina State where Fulani farmers and Fulani pastoralists
fight".
The cattle breeders association hasn’t
focused enough on complimenting efforts of security operatives in the country
towards a peace building process.
If we
must win the fight against these sophisticatedly armed bandits government must
up their strategies and encourage more the security operatives to carry out genuine
operations. Government must be sincere enough to dole out funds to keep the
agility of the men in uniform tight to confront the forest wheelers,
