Fulani bandits kidnap victims under military watch, Abia youths retort

• Explains why no arrests were made

Sopuruchi Onwuka

Youth leaders in communities that make up the Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State have refuted claims by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, that troops of 14 Brigade, operating under 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, rescued 13 abducted victims on the Ngodo-Isuochi Road.

Some of the youth leaders who spoke to our correspondent on the longstanding kidnapping enterprise in the southern Enugu State and northern Abia State stated that the victims are traditionally abducted under the close watch of soldiers who man the various military checkpoints in the areas.

The youth groups had in a petition to the newly elected Governor Alex Otti of Abia State requested establishment of police mobile force base along the vulnerable Lomara, Ngodo and Ndiawa road which are close to the Lokpanta cattele market in the council area.

The Oracle Today reports that whereas the cattle market had existed peacefully before the Visa-on-arrival policy of the APC federal government, the influx of Sahel militants and their migration southwards had made the cattle market the operating base for the bandits.

In a joint petition to Governor Alex Otti, the communities had requested relocation of the cattle market which was established by embattled former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu to ingratiate himself to the former President Muhammadu Buhari and secure his freedom from EFCC’s charges of looting the state dry.

Also in positioning for the position of Senate President, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu had also pointed at the cattle market as his exceptional achievement in meeting Buhari’s aspiration for cattle colonies in the southern parts of the country. And his vain campaign promise of flushing the market of bandits with the aid of the military proved another fraud on his constituency electorates.

It would be recalled that the erstwhile Prelate of the Methodist Church, Dr SKC Uche, and his clergy associates were kidnapped by Fulani bandits along the Isuocho-Leru road while he was on pastoral visit to the community.

He had identified the assailants as Fulani bandits from Mali, Sudan and Niger who trooped into Nigeria under the protection of former President Buhari without any means of livelihood apart from the lucrative kidnapping business. The church bled N100 million to secure the release of the Prelate and his bishops.

But the siege on the Abia north communities and routine kidnapping of local people, including students of Abia State University, had been existence since 2015 when Buhari came into power. And appeals to the former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to boost security in the area failed to interest him.

The Oracle Today reports that all the former governors of the state have been under the radar of the EFCC for looting the state into total incapacity. While Senator Orji Uzor Kalu have had a stint in the prison, his successor, Theodore Orji and his son, Chinedu, are currently cooperating with the EFCC over discovery of over N526 billion in about 100 bank accounts operated by the former governor’s son.

Meanwhile the oil producing state suffers infrastructural decay, winding businesses and disabled civil service where workers and pensioners are owed years of salary arrears.

With alleged dirty hands and fear of running into direct conflict with former President Buhari, former Governor Ikpeazu clearly distanced from the duty to protect the rural communities whose youth population are now supporting homes with remittances from diaspora.

The prevailing political uncertainty and anti-Igbo posture of President Bola Tinubu have emboldened the bandits who now operate in brazen audacity and in defiance of the military personnel who claim to hold primary assignment of quelling pro-Biafran insurgency in the region.

In a petition to Governor Alex Otti signed by Barr. Chetachi Obi –Nwoke for Zone 1, Comrade Kevin C. Obi for Zone 2, Mr Azubuike Emmanuel C. for Zone 3, and Hon. Chinemerem Nwankwo for Zone 4 a committee of youth leaders in the state said the deadly kidnap gangs have killed over 1000 indigenes and extort annual N2.52 billion from relatives of their hostages.

They said commuters from several communities in Umunneochi local government area of Abia State have since 2016 regularly fallen victims of routine attacks launched by Fulani bandits operating from the Lokpanta cattle market in the area.

According to spokesmen of the youths, the armed attacks on Isuochi, Nneato, Leru, Nenwe and Lokpa communities have left over 1000 people dead, innumerable number women raped and billions of Naira lost in ransom payments.

“Our data collated from victims across our communities show that about N2.52 billion have been paid to the assailants as ransom, another N200 million has been spend on medical treatment for the wounded most of whom do not survive. Most of the young women and mothers who have been publicly raped still cope with depression and mental health issues associated with the trauma,” lamented the petitioners.

Witnesses told our correspondent that in one of the daily attacks close the military checkpoint along the Ngodo-Leru Road, private and commuter buses were gunned down and over 20 passengers were herded into the bushes by the gunmen. And following innumerable reports to the soldiers, a belated search for the victims was launched in collaboration with community youths.

Some of the victims outsmarted their captors while the rest were released during the manhunt, our source stated.

Later, the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, released a statement from Abuja on Monday saying that “troops responded to a distress call on Saturday, in the wake of an attack on a Sienna SUV and L300 Mitsubishi bus with Reg. No. UWN 190 AL Enugu. He confirmed that the kidnappers took the passengers hostage and escaped into the surrounding bush.

“During the search and rescue operation, the troops initially rescued five victims on the first day of the search and rescue operation. Further search on Sunday led to the rescue of additional eight victims, totaling 13.

“The rescued victims have been handed over to the Nigerian Police in Umunneochi,” he stated.

In responding to criticisms at the suspicious antics of the soldiers operating checkpoints on the roads, the army spokesman appealed for cooperation.

“The Nigerian Army appeals to all law-abiding citizens to continue to support the troops and other security agencies with timely and actionable information, as they combat security challenges across the country,” Nwachukwu added.

But the youth groups in the communities insist that “Our case is made worse by the reluctance of the military forces at nearby checkpoints who witness these atrocities and refuse to stop it! Instead they quickly rise to suppress self help efforts by local youths in the area.”

They wondered why no arrests have been made since nearly 10 years of daily kidnapping on roads connecting the local government from Enugu, Imo and Anambra states. These interstate roads, they point out, are secured by soldiers that mount military checkpoints and witness the kidnaps on daily basis.

“Most of the so called rescues are negotiated releases. And these releases occur when the failure of the soldiers become too brazen and inexcusable. Apart from the few people caught by vigilante youths, the military have never arrested any kidnapper,” they pointed out.