Such thugs go by different names in different states. In Lagos, they are called Area boys; in Bayelsa they are called Egbesu and in Abia State they are known as Bakassi Boys. In different states of the north they are called Yan-tauri, Sara-suka, Yan-Daba and ECOMOG, among others.
The return of Kalare in Gombe
In Gombe state, where they are called Yan-Kalare, their history is not very difficult to trace. Some years ago, Yan-Kalare were organized hunters, moving in groups.
With the inception of democratic rule, they were recruited for political activities, to intimidate and harass perceived political opponents, and even to snatch ballot boxes at gun point.
On assumption of office in 2011 Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, banned their activities in the state. He rolled out a plan to rehabilitate and empower over 1,000 youths, most of them Yan-Kalare, to make them self-employed, hence more useful to the society.
“The youths will be empowered economically through training and not by arming them with axes, cutlasses and cudgels to terrorize the society in the name of politics,” he said.
At the start of the programme, the Kalare boys surrendered and were trained as road marshal assistants, community sanitary and security workers.
But the group has resurfaced on the streets of Gombe, with little difference from their former modus operandi.
They now move about freely with small arms and are known to have destroyed houses, shops and cars in many parts of the state capital. In some cases they break into people’s houses, beat them and snatch some valuables.
A recent case in point was the alleged attacked on a man and his wife around Yerwa Gana of Gombe metropolis, where the gang allegedly collected the man’s phone and money amounting to N8,000. In the operation, the man was left with a deep cut on his hand.
Also at Liberty Junction along government house Gombe, a man was attacked as he was alighting from his vehicle to go buy something at a nearby shop. Some boys suspected to be Kalare members attacked him with knives and other dangerous weapons. They seized his handsets and ran toward Jeka da fari area leaving the man helpless.
A nine man gang led by Usman Umar (alias Nimi Saleh Libiya) and Abdulkadir Umar (alias Battes) who allegedly specialize in raping young girls between the hours of 1830hrs and 2200hrs were arrested and charged to court by the police in Gombe recently.
Also another group of Yan-Kalare led by one Nasiru Abdullahi and Bello Mohammed, both of them Keke NAPEP operators, who allegedly kidnapped a young lady at BCGA Quarters in Gombe metropolis, were arrested at Gombe-Biu bye-pass and would soon be charged to court, police said.
Recently the Gombe state Police Command at two different occasions paraded 56 and 30 persons allegedly involved in killing, raping, robbery and terrorising people. They also paraded some merchants allegedly involved in selling hard drugs to members of notorious Kalare gangs.
According to the Commissioner of Police the suspects were arrested with cache of arms, including knives, cutlasses, machetes, locally made gun, and other dangerous weapons.
State Police Commissioner, Kudu Abdullahi Nma, who paraded the suspects before newsmen in Gombe reiterated that the police had launched fresh effort to curtail the activities of Yan Kalare, and solicited the cooperation of members of the public to come up with useful information to the police.
On the two suspects arrested over sale of drugs, police said their arrest followed a confession by some of the thugs, who were arrested by the police
Recently 30 of the said notorious hoodlums called Yan Kalare were arrested.
“I did not come to Gombe to make a jolly-jolly but to assure good people of Gombe that the security situation they have been enjoying in the past will continue,” he said.
Nma said that those areas that were not hitherto been reached he will ensure that they are reached stressing that ‘Gombe people should go to bed with their two eyes closed’.
He promised to deal decisively with the Kalare group who have been terrorizing innocent citizen in the state.
Earlier, before the arrival of the present Police Commissioner, former Police Commissioner Mohammed I Sule, now retired, had paraded 56 members of the gang at the Command Headquarters’ in Gombe.
Sule said the 56 arrested had made confessional statements to several murder cases in the state. He said two of their leaders were arrested along with various dangerous weapons that included guns, knives, machetes, daggers among many others.
For now, questions are being asked as to whether the resurgence of Yan-Kalare is calculated ahead of the 2015 elections. But the state police command says it is equal to the task.
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