The Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives Union (BEPU) has expressed concern over the mass exodus of residents of Damari town, in Kazage Ward, of Birnin-Gwari local government area of Kaduna State as a result of daily attacks by bandits.
According to a native of Birnin-Gwari, Ishaq Kasai, in an issued statement, said the apparent neglect and inaction by government have left the natives with no choice than to relocate from the theatre of war and seek for safer locations to pitch their tents in order to save their lives.
Today, the people of Damari are fleeing en masse following incessant attacks by terrorists that besiege the farming community on vengeance mission over Ansaru who have since relocated from the area”, Kasai said. Presently, there is no presence of security agents in the town. It is against this disturbing situation that we are calling on the authorities to, as a matter of urgency, mobilize security personnel to the community in order to arrest the situation, he further stated. Kasai shared photos of residents fleeing the community.
Recall that after a faction of Boko Haram, the Ansaru terrorists, annexed the area and instituted a kind of local authority, the locals had some relief, going by report that the heavily-armed breakaway group provided security to the people and prevented local bandits from attacking Damari and neighbouring villages. Many villagers, who had since lost hope in the ability of the government to protect them against bandits, reportedly began to develop interest in joining the Ansaru so that they could live freely and do their businesses without fear in their communities.
The Ansaru members continued to preach and administer the Sharia justice system to the locals while requiring them to acquire arms to defend themselves against enemies as well as fight the government in order to establish what they referred to as a pure Islamic State. The local government area has become the most dreaded part of Kaduna State, with daily killings, kidnap of innocent persons passing through the area and other inhuman activities.
Between January and July 2022, many communities in Birnin-Gwari LGA have reportedly come under attacks by bandits. A number of cases were reported by the media, but the villagers said there are many more unreported ones.
The Emir of Birnin-Gwari, Malam Zubairu Jibril Mai Gwari II, also believes the number of attacks and casualty rate are higher than the ones the public is aware of, saying that over 30 communities in his emirate have come under attack in the past one year, while many of his subjects were killed.
The Birnin-Gwari LGA, they suspect, is being considered by internationally connected terrorists as their new operational base after being technically dislodged from the North-East region.
