The Kaduna state government revealed that for the year 2021, 1,192 persons were killed by banditry and violent attacks in the state and 3,348 people were kidnapped, while 891 others were injured within the year.
This was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, presenting the 2021 annual security report to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai on Tuesday
The Governor also urged the FG to create a Theatre Command similar to the situation in the North-East to fight the banditry in the state
What they said:
After the Commissioner presented the report that revealed 1,192 persons were killed by banditry and violent attacks in the state last year, Elrufai said that Kaduna State Government appeals to the Federal Government to create a Theatre Command similar to the situation in the North-East to confront the insurgency that has emerged in five states of the North-West and Niger State with continuous and contiguous forest ranges.
He also added that the creation of such a Theatre Command will enable a holistic approach to counter-insurgent operations across the six affected states and the enhanced coordination of the resources of the Armed Forces, the Police, the State Security Service (SSS), our respective State Vigilance Services, hunters and other local volunteers to fight the insurgents.
He warned that according to the report an average of nine persons were kidnapped daily across Kaduna State, mostly in the Kaduna Central senatorial district.
“There is also an escalation in the number of persons killed by a whopping 255 compared to those sadly killed by banditry and criminality in 2020 in spite of our best efforts in supporting the Federal security agencies to bring an end to this phenomenon,” he said.
What you should know
Recall Nairametrics reported earlier this month that the federal government of Nigeria officially released its official gazette proscribing bandit groups in Nigeria as terrorists.
Justice Taiwo of the Federal High Court declared bandit groups such as Yan Bindiga and Yan Ta’adda as terrorist groups and directed that proscription be published in the official gazette of the Federal Government, as well as two national dailies.
SBM Intelligence, a socioeconomic research firm, in its ‘Media Reported Killings in Nigeria’ report for Q3 2021, revealed that 2,287 persons were reportedly killed in Nigeria in the third quarter of the year in violent incidents, including attacks by Boko Haram terrorists, militia herdsmen, bandits, abductions and gang clashes.
