Their power and influence has often been downplayed by state and local governments, but their existence is known to all. They come demanding that rural folks pay obeisance in the form of taxes.
In Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara they are the local lords of swathes of land. They maim, they kill at will, only sometimes neutralised by a combination of forces including the armed forces, police and local vigilanteé put together by communities, and funded by state and local government authorities.
But this did not prevent the bandits from striking again in Shiroro local government area, a known soft target.
The terrorists had demanded a tax of two million Naira from Dnakundna community so the rural folks could access the harvests on their farms. The rural people, like others, fleeced to the bones, could not raise the money, and opted opted to flee the community.
The bandits would have none of it, and laid an ambush. Intercepting a group that included a pregnant mother, the went gaga. For banal, wicked reasons, or perhaps to send a signal to other communities, they viciously proceeded to rape the woman. She died later a day later last Friday in hospital.
As always, the state and local governments have not commented on the dastardly act, even as it was reported that the terrorists left with 17 other community people.
These heinous crimes, some worse in nature, have been recurring a decimal in the north-western flank of the country, where it appears state and local governments have thrown their hands up in the air helplessly, and community folks have become mincemeat for terrorists, bandits, and every shade of criminals.
In the absence of state and local government- funded police, which state governors have fought for in vain in the last seven years through constitutional amendments, Nigeria’s rural people bear the worse of the brunt of criminalities in the country.
Particularly in Niger State, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, was known for crying out loud about the plight of his people and the inability of the federally-controlled troops and police, and other security agencies to match the criminals; but after shouting himself hoarse, he began to lightly arm the state Vigilance groups to take on the criminals.
It was also gathered that he was “once or twice” summoned to the country’s seat of power in Abuja for his loud complaints.
Since then, it was further gathered in Abuja, he has maintained a studied silence, choosing not to malign his fellow All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government at the centre, like his fellow north-west governors.