I haven’t watched a sordid drama for a long time to compare with the kidnap and subsequent murder of Sarkin Gobir Isa Bawa. The fact that the whole affair unfolded in the glare of the media, with the harrowing details fed to the public bit by bit for days, was unnerving and depressing. It tells of how cheap life has become in this part of the country where kidnappings and killings have now become routine. And it is becoming apparent, day by day, that the Nigerian state has lost its ability to protect its citizens.
Readers might recall the shock at the news that bandits had waylaid the Sarkin Gobir on the highway going from his base at Gatawa to Sokoto, taking him along with his son into the forest as captives. Many of us with some knowledge of that part of Sokoto State were unsure of which Sarkin Gobir. This is because the title of Sarkin Gobir has multiple owners. In Sokoto State, there are three holders with the title: Sarkin Gobir Na Sabon Birni, Na Isa and Na Gatawa. Across the Sokoto State border, there is a Sarkin Gobir in Kebbi State, Katsina State and even as far away as Kwara State. There is also a Sarkin Gobir in Niger Republic.
A few days later, the identity of the captive Sarkin Gobir became clear when the bandits released a video of him, that immediately went viral. In the video, Sarki Isa Bawa of Gatawa was shown in the most degrading position that can only be imagined.
After spending a week in captivity and shorn of his chiefly regalia, he could hardly be recognised. He was in a white dress that was tousled up and smeared with patches of his blood that had gone dark red. His hands were behind his back, tied up, and he spoke in the most piteous tones to the camera, edged on by his captors standing behind him brazenly holding guns and cudgels.
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He appealed to his relatives, friends and the government to get him out of that predicament. He was in excruciating distress. Watching the video was disturbing enough. What was even more harrowing was listening to the audio that was released later, negotiating the release of Sarkin Gobir. The discussion that transpired between a relation of Sarkin Gobir and the leader of the bandits took a length of about 15 minutes. The bandit was asking for the payment of N100 million to release Sarkin Gobir. The discussion with the bandit went back and forth and at every point, the bandit was issuing threats.
Finally, the amount of N60 million was agreed to be paid with an additional five motorcycles. The bandit was even giving the specification of the kind of motorcycles to be bought. Thereafter, most likely some mishandling occurred when the ransom did not reach the bandits in the manner they specified, they tragically went ahead to execute their captive. It was a senseless killing, fuelled by the kind of impunity of the most impulsive type that can only be associated with brigands that foresee no consequences, whether it is here or in the hereafter.
It fills one with sadness that most of the North West is embroiled in this never-ending saga of banditry. What started as a matter of farmer-herder conflict has now degenerated into a full-scale war of attrition with the brigands who know the vast forest intimately holding the aces.
Wanton kidnappings along most of the highways in that area have made travelling a game of musical chairs. Commuters never know when it is their turn for the pick-up. Towns and villages are under siege from the rampant campaign of the bandits, emasculating trading and farming activities, the mainstay of the economies of the communities.
To worsen matters, the nation-state has not been of much help in alleviating the situation. The security forces have too many problems of their own to effectively counter the bandits. Either they are too thin on the ground, and, or, they have too many problems to handle. They are still contending with the remnants of the Boko-Haram insurgents in the North East and in the South East battling with IPOB determined to wreak havoc on their communities. They are also in the South South handling oil theft and in the North Central where communities are in perpetual conflict.
What to do? The states in the North West would still look up to the security forces to perform their fiduciary function of protecting their communities. In addition, I would further urge the North West communities to take a cue from how some North East communities handled the Boko Haram elements in their midst. In Maiduguri, at the height of the Boko Haram campaign, when the push came to shove and the security forces were losing the battle, it was the community that rose en masse to help them chase the brigands out into the forest. That was the beginning of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in that part of the country that utilised local elements to deal with insurgents. I understand that the same scenario unfolded in Mubi, Adamawa State and Azare in Bauchi State with a good degree of success.
When an emir can be picked on the highway and be made to undergo such humiliation ending with death with no consequences, know that everybody is a sitting duck. North West communities must help themselves.
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