Kidnappers, bandits, robbers and communal clashes threaten Governor Abdullahi Sule’s dream of building a grand economy erected on peace and enterprise in Nasarawa State. However, the government is taking measures to push back on the activities of men of the underworld

NKRUMAH BANKONG-OBI/Lafia

It was a recurring decimal that the authorities had become tired of. The police too appeared to have been overwhelmed and thus shorn of ideas about ending the cycle. The intermittent snatching of students of the Federal University of Lafia, FULAFIA, from an off-campus hostel in Gandu Community by kidnappers left everyone sweating. Although each time it happened, the victims were released after ransom had been paid on their behalf, the impact on the parent and the community is immeasurable.

The daily report was beginning to wear out even the most incredible optimist. An unknown number of people are in captivity. There are rising cases of car theft, stolen motorcycles and the riders killed and patrons of commercial motorcycles killed for unknown reasons. Lafia was emerging morphing into a criminal hotspot. Kidnapping and robberies competed for space just as other petty crimes also gained a foothold in the area.

To curb this menace in the metropolis, the Chairman of Lafia Local Government Area imposed a curfew from dusk to dawn. Aimed at clipping the wings of kidnappers, motorcycle thieves, cell phone snatchers and others, the authorities of the Council categorised the operational time for the various means of transportation in the Area. Muazu Maifata, the Chairman of the Council presided over an expansive security meeting that imposed the curfew and it was agreed that “Restriction of motorcycle movement from 6.00 am and restriction of tricycle movement from 8.00 am to 6.00 am.”

Just as Maifata and his security council were enforcing the curfew, kidnappers struck in Shabu, a suburb of Lafia Local Government Area. This time, they snatched a traditional title holder and prominent elder in the settlement. Musa Shuaibu was said to be returning from his evening prayer in a nearby mosque when armed men whisked him away to an unknown destination. Although he has regained freedom, our reporter could not ascertain if the ransom was paid or not for his release.

The most credible timeline of the criminality in the State is gleaned from the monthly briefing by the State Command of the Nigeria Police. Ramhan Nansel, the Police Relations Office of the Command who usually undertakes the activity on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Umar Nadada, parades kidnappers, armed robbers, internet fraudsters, and job racketeers, among others. Last week, for example, Nansel paraded two members of a gang of robbers who operate in the Karshi area of the State. Cartridges, cell phones, pliers, and laptop computers, among other appliances. He said the synergy between the security agencies in the State has led to more losses for the criminals as they are being apprehended.

Two weeks ago, two major events laid bare the delicate nature of peace in the State. The first was an attack on the State Command headquarters of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Lafia. Jerry Victor, the Corps’ public relations officer in the State in a statement said the attackers came in the small hours of the morning mounted on bikes and foot. He suggested that they have come to rescue some detainees in the facility who were arrested for working in tandem with kidnappers. But “The operatives of the NSCDC swiftly responded by opening fire on the hoodlums whose mission was to release some high-profile suspected criminals, including informant of kidnappers in the custody of the Command,” his release read in part. And then as if to put a clog in the wheel of the government’s effort to attract investment into the State, a communal clash broke out between the Alago and Tiv communities on the boundary between Benue State. This clash, a security analyst who declined to be named, told this Medium, is only one of the many that occur across Nasarawa State.

At an enlarged security meeting following the clash which led to the loss of lives, Governor Abdullahi Sule told reporters that he had ordered the security agencies to smartly quell the crisis. He also expressed his exasperation with uprisings such as this. “Unfortunately, it is a situation we can’t continue like this because Nasarawa continues to receive a lot of good news coming to us in all directions, he said of the investment drawn to the State by his administration, adding that, one thing after another “And it’s coming partly because we are living in peace with one another. The day that we indicate that it is opposite, it will be difficult,” the noted of the threats to investments in communities where solid minerals are found.

The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Dr Yakubu Kwanta also addressed the press following the infiltration of mining communities by illegal explorers. He warned at a news briefing that the government is committed to enforcing Executive Order 02 of 2022 which spells out procedures for mining in the State, and stressed that regardless of the government’s commitment to open up the communities for mineral exploration, the security of such areas will not be compromised as the government is determined to protect such areas from “infiltration by those unidentifiable entities, individuals and undocumented aliens, mostly with the propensity  and capacity for mischief and criminality.”

Nasarawa is regarded as the new frontier in economic development. The discovery and subsequent drilling for oil in Obi Local Government Area last year has upped the State’s status as a prospective economic hub. In May this year, President Bola Tinubu, represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, opened the 4000-metric ton lithium factory in Nasarawa Local Government. Licenses are being issued to companies willing to invest in the State. This explains why Governor Sule regularly interfaces with security agencies and provides their needs to ensure the maintenance of peace and harmonious coexistence.

While the security apparatus may have done well, nibbling criminals at intervals, it remains to be seen how the increased commercial activities resulting from her new status as an emerging economic centre will be managed, security-wise.