By Francis Ogwo
The news of the dissolution of service Chiefs by President Muhammadu Buhari may just be a headline to many Nigerians and a regular occurrence in administrative strategies, but to local farmers in the Kaduna North and Birnin Gwari areas of the state, it is a move towards bringing an end to incessant attacks by armed bandits in the state as the service chiefs have been identified by locals as ‘Kaduna Boys’.
KaftanPost visited the Mando area of the state, a sprawling neighborhood that leads to the permanent site of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna International Airport and Birnin Gwari to assess the degree of impact of the armed banditry on agribusiness in the state.
Recall that recently, a detachment of military personnel were attacked along the Burning Gwari – Funtua Road leading to causalities aside other kidnap and murder cases by bandits.
Hamisu Danliti, a septuagenarian owns a rickety old truck which he uses to transport agricultural produce to Kontangora Market and some other popular markets in neighbouring Niger State.
When asked on the level of impact on his business, Hamisu said: “I have been transporting tomato, vegetables, yams and other harvests for some farmers in the state for over forty years.
“This is my worst experience and makes me wonder why we would use our hands and kill ourselves for no reason.”
He recounted an encounter with the bandits.
“On one occasion I was coming back from Tengena (a farming community along the Lagos-Niger-Kaduna expressway), we stopped to pray as common with us Muslims. Within seconds of our stopping, we heard gunshots and scampered to safety with many of us running into nearby bushes.
“The gunshots continued for about ten minutes and stopped but no one summoned courage to come out of the hiding.
Danliti continued: “We only started coming out when we heard a siren blaring patrol vehicle.
“It was a nightmare for me and others. In fact, I didn’t work for over two weeks and also fell ill,” he concluded with a frown on his wrinkled face.
Aminu Abdullahi, a farmer who followed the response by Danliti quickly interrupted. He sounded like one who was abreast with recent news and current affairs.
Abdullahi said: “We know that all our challenges with these bandits will end soon with the recent appointments.
When he was asked to explain what he meant as he was visibly excited on his assertions, he said: “All the service chiefs are conversant with fighting crime and terrorism in the state and are Kaduna boys.
“The Army and Airforce Chiefs had fought criminals in the ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’ squad and understand the tricks and operations of these criminals.
Abdullahi continued: “They have also stayed in Kaduna especially Zaria and environs, they understand the terrain. We are happy and believe they would pull in their wealth of experience in ending crimes in the state and country at large.
Another respondent, a tomato farmer who preferred anonymity said he almost lost a relative recently to the bandits.
When asked on how is happened, he said, “I usually feel bad when talking about the bandits and how much they have scared us away from our farms and killed us.
“I sent a younger cousin one day from my farm along the Forestry plantation area of the Birnin Gwari road to deliver some baskets of tomatoes to the Central Market in Kaduna town and only got news later that he was shot and seriously injured.
“As I speak our farms are no go areas as they usually come in and round us up and even kidnap some of us.
“It is a sad situation as most of our tomatoes go as far as Lagos and the east. We pray that the government will quickly make moves in bringing it to an end so that our case doesn’t become like that of famers in the north east,” he concluded.
Movement around the state showed that the security apparatus of the state was visibly geared up in the fight against banditry as pockets of Air Force Personnels were seen along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway especially at the Jere and Kagarko communites which have over the past months been besieged by bandits.
Profiles of the service chiefs show that they are all regular combatants from the Nigerian Defence Academy, which is in Kaduna State, including the Chief of Defence staff who even served as an Adjutant in the Military University in his early career as a younger officer.
As the new ‘Kaduna Boys’ take over the mantle of ensuring security in the country, Kaduna is agog with excitement and with high hopes on how much their knowledge of the security challenges in the town will bring positive results in fighting crime and criminality in the state especially on salvaging the future of Agriculture and allied businesses in the state.
