By Zayd Ibn Isah
The Governor of Katsina State, Dikko Umar Radda, recently made a chilling revelation during an interview he granted on Channels Television. He disclosed that there are bandit informants within his government and that this has made the fight against insecurity even more difficult. If it were another person or an outsider who made such a revelation, he might have been invited by the relevant security agencies to substantiate his claims because the allegation is weighty. But since it came straight from the horse’s mouth, it becomes a statement of fact rather than mere speculation.
The Governor could not have simply woken up one night and accused members of his cabinet of sabotage. There is no smoke without fire. For instance, according to him, during one of the high-level security meetings held to discuss strategies for dealing with a particular bandit leader, the same bandit leader already knew what was discussed barely five minutes after the meeting ended. How frustrating can that be?
Many people did not take the Governor’s statement seriously when he first made the revelation. To some, it sounded as though he was merely looking for excuses to mask his inability to secure the lives and property of the people who voted him into office. Others believed he was simply shifting blame to members of his cabinet in order to justify the government’s struggles against insecurity. But the recent arrest of one of his former aides, Hon. Nuru Aliyu Garwa, appears to have vindicated the Governor’s claims.
The former aide to the Governor, who allegedly resigned in order to represent his constituency in the State House of Assembly, was reportedly arrested alongside a gang member for masterminding the abduction of his neighbour’s son while the boy was returning from Islamiyyah school. Over ten million naira was reportedly paid to secure the victim’s release.
The innocent neighbour might have been hailing him “Honourable” or “Rankadade” anytime he saw him driving to work or whenever they met within the neighbourhood, never knowing that kidnapping for ransom was allegedly his main business while politics was merely a side hustle.
Nuru Aliyu Garwa served as a Senior Special Assistant to the Katsina State Governor on Community Development Programmes. Sadly, he chose to destroy the very society he was meant to help develop. Although the Governor, through his spokesman, stated that Nuru had earlier been suspended over the alleged mismanagement of resources meant for community development, a resignation letter purportedly written by him, declaring his intention to contest for a seat in the State House of Assembly, has also been circulating on social media, which has made people doubt the Governor’s claim of suspension. Well, his spokesman can say the letter was AI-generated. Case closed. Lobatan. After all, what AI cannot do does not exist.
One can only imagine the disappointment and embarrassment the Governor must have felt when the news broke. Nonetheless, he deserves credit for speaking openly about the existence of informants within government circles long before this arrest.
Maybe the Governor should consider a cabinet reshuffle because this development has inevitably cast doubt on the integrity of some members of his kitchen cabinet. What is even more frightening is that there are probably many more “Nurus” occupying both high and low places across the country without anyone suspecting them.
Not only did the Governor expose the Judases within his cabinet, he also lamented the role of communities that harbour bandits and serve as their informants. According to him, some villagers working in cahoots with bandits even go as far as inciting protests against government operations targeting these criminals, the same way parents and girlfriends of yahoo boys protest against their arrest and prosecution by relevant security agencies. To such communities, the bandits are seen as their sons fighting for their freedom.
Perhaps this explains why there is no universally accepted and binding definition of terrorism under international law. One person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter. You now understand why a certain Sheikh is holding brief for them and urging the government to grant them amnesty, right?
The Governor also accused some security personnel of serving as informants to bandits. This, among other things, has made the fight against insecurity extremely tedious. It is difficult to win a war when some of those entrusted with protecting society are secretly collaborating with the enemy.
Former Minister of Finance and current Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Professor Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in her memoir Fighting Corruption Is Dangerous, highlighted how confronting corruption poses grave dangers because those benefiting from it will always fight back. Perhaps someone else will someday write a book titled Fighting Insecurity Is Difficult and Dangerous, because even some of the people you are fighting to protect may end up fighting against you. Without the absolute cooperation of local communities, security agencies, and other stakeholders, how can this battle truly be won?
For instance, the heartbreaking abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo is another sad story of collaboration between terrorists and some members of local communities. The bandits were able to navigate their way out of the National Park, where they had been trapped by security forces, with the help of informants who sold their own people for money.
The rising cases of kidnapping for ransom and other violent crimes also reflect a deeper failure of society. People are often quick to celebrate sudden wealth and influence without questioning the source. We have seen cases of parents supporting or shielding the criminal activities of their children.
The case of community leader in Ogun State, where a ransom bag was reportedly discovered in his kitchen by police officers, is a salient example. Ordinarily, as the head of the community in Ijebu Ode, he was supposed to be a stakeholder in the fight against insecurity, but unfortunately, he himself allegedly became a beneficiary of it. His defence that he did not know his children were involved in kidnapping does not hold water. A father cannot claim ignorance of his children’s involvement in kidnapping when he does not question the source of their wealth or report suspicious activities to law enforcement agencies.
Personally, I believe the government should prescribe the death penalty for convicted kidnappers, while governors must also be willing to sign death warrants where necessary. The era of governors saying they do not want blood on their hands should be over. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
According to police reports, kidnapping activities reportedly surged again after one of his sons, Bala, who had earlier been convicted for similar offences, returned from prison. A leopard, they say, never changes its spots.
In the end, it is now more imperative than ever for Nigeria to find permanent solutions to combat and tackle the scourge of insecurity. If not, peace will continue to remain a distant dream. And if there is anything Nigerians desperately need now, it is simply the privilege of being able to go about their daily businesses in peace and without fear, knowing that this present administration is committed to safeguarding their lives.
Zayd Ibn Isah writes from Saudi Arabia. He can be reached at [email protected] and Twitter handle, @IsahZayd
