After the attack on Makuku, Dankolo, Sakaba recently that have claimed the lives of about nine police officers including a D.P.O, and three vigilantee members, Bandits have also yesterday unleashed terror on the people of Karenbana, a village bothering with kebbi. Though Karenbana is located in Niger state but it’s predominant populace are people of from Kebbi state of Dakarkari and Hausawa extractions.
During their gruesome, horrific and barbaric attack, the Bandits armed with sophisticated weapons, riding on motorcycles numbering about two hundred (200) stormed Karenbana village at about 4:30pm on Tuesday 1st June, 2021. They operated unresisted for about 3 hours non stop, looting every shop in the village.
During the development of this story late Wednesday evening, I called a Catholic priest who is also the parish priest of Karenbana parish and he told us,
” When they came we were at the church praying and those who were outside called and inform us that Bandits are in town and we could hear the sound of gunshots sporadically, we continued with our prayers. Findings from the aftermath of the attack revealed that, almost all shops in this village were looted” he continued ” they barricaded the whole village and killed about five people, most of the victims killed were those who attempted to escape and those returning from their farms unaware of the doom that have befallen us. They have kidnapped many and more than 90% of us that have survived the attack have migrated to Bena, Ribah, Bedi, Rijau, Zuru and some unknown places”
One of our reporter also called another victim identified as Mr. Yohanna and he responded by saying ” they came around 4:00pm and lasted to about 9:00pm, they were numbering more than 200 gun men and they have killed about ten people and kidnapped more than 100 people. I can only recall Three persons among those killed:
Mallam. Gado Wanzam
Mal. Abubakar Nuhu Tase and
Mal. Saminu Isah Boyi”
Mr. Yohanna also identified 14 persons out of the more than 100 people kidnapped. The names include the following among others:
MR. Ilmiya Sunday
Alh. Yahaya
Mr. Yunana Adamu
Miss Tabitha Samaila
Miss Felicia Kona
Mrs. Hajiya Bitrus Hadi
Miss. Shamsiya Koba
Mrs. Kemba Alh Musa
Mrs. Azumi Alh. Musa
Mrs. Fati Alh Sani
Mal. Salihu Alh Babangida
Miss Shamsiya Ali
Mr. Daniel D.D.K
Mrs. Halima Alh. Sani
When we asked him if there was any milliary intervention to repel the armed Bandits, Mr. Yohanna told us there no any security reinforcements prior to the attack or after. He told us presently he is hiding somewhere, according to him ” this is the second time I have been displaced in less than 4 months, I was first displaced from Munhaye where more than 20 of my brothers and neighbors were killed. My mother was kidnapped then and I have to raise money to secure her release. We are now hopeless and helpless. We lost our farms, houses, shops and cattles. Prior to these endless attacks we used to be self dependent and economically sufficient but we have now been reduced to beggars or dependent on others to survive. Humanitarian emergency situation is already created.
The only edge these terrorists have over us are the guns they are holding and since government have stopped us from possessing arms then, there is an urgent need for government to draft special, robust and proactive security operatives to forestall the reoccurrences of these horrific experiences.
Mr. Musa told us that ” these criminals keep using the same methods and tactics in all their operations and we wonder why the government is yet to take some steps ahead of them. They usually came of Zamfara forest or Niger forest and move to our villages using same route to come in and use the same route escape back when they are satisfied with the havoc they wreck on us. I can’t explain why the government kept failing us repeatedly, because if you can not track these hoodlums while they were coming, then why can’t they mobilize air support to kill them when they are retreating to their safety enclaves. I have so many questions to ask in regards to what is happening to us and Kebbi, Niger and Zamfara state governments need to explain to us because, what I am seeing is either complicity or deliberate negligence
The Gaya-Unashi Genocide.
Gaya is a sub village of Unashi under Danko Wasagu Local Government in Kebbi state, the village have a history of tough resistance against the invasion of armed herdsmen. The villagers are rich having herds of cattles and rich farm lands. On 3rd June, 2021 exactly two days after the attack in Karenbana that claimed the lives of more than 30 people, Gaya also came under invasion by the armed herdsmen, numbering about 500 riding on motorcycles. While the armed herdsmen are advancing from the neighbouring villages of Gaya , the Vigilantee group of Gaya mobilised and moved swiftly to stop them from coming into the main village. But the Bandits have already succeeded in rustling cattles from the nearby villages and were moving with them. The Bandits were divided into two groups while one group was rustling cattles and moving backwards another group on motorcycles are launching attack against the villagers to discourage them from pursuing to retrieve their cattles.
Noticing the counter attack from the local vigilantee, the armed Bandits retreated, taking cover in the northern fringes of the Gaya village, leaving the rustled cattles behind. The vigilantee members killed the scores of the Bandits. Other vigilantee groups from Ribah, Bedi, Dabai among others also mobilised to support the Gaya vigilantee group members in an attempt to recover the stolen cows fully.
After some hours at about 1:00am on Friday, the retreated armed herdsmen launched another offensive , ambushed and killed more than 80 vigilantee members or Yan Sakai. From there they moved to Gaya village and continued with their killing spree. As of time of compiling this report more than 150 corpses have been recovered. And the Bandits are still visible in the neigbouring villages, looting shops, houses and rustling cattles. All calls to get the attention of the security agents for rescue and evacuation of the survivors and the victims could not yield any positive results.
The kidnapped persons are said to be more than one hundred. Women, children and aged men and women have been abandoned to their fate with no sign of help or relief. Thousands of villagers within the decimated villages were seen carrying the loads of their belongings on their heads and on trucks moving to Ribah and Zuru. A serious humanitarian crisis have already been created and there is no any serious measures put in place by the kebbi state Government to reduce the sufferings of the victims. There is an urgent need to create IDPs camps in order to bring solace to the heartbroken persons, who are presently on the rampage struggling to find a place to rest and reflect on their loses and the loved ones engulfed by this war.
The Observatimes Magazine will keep you updated on this story and other happenings in regards to the security situation in kebbi South.