Muslim faithful in Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger States in the North West and North Central regions of Nigeria have bemoaned their inability to join their brothers and sisters all over the world in the celebration of Eid Al-Adha last week as terrorists and bandits’ invasion of the region has made life extremely difficult to live.
While some of the residents who spoke with The Point said they were confined to their houses as fear of abduction and killing enveloped them, others said even when they dared it and went to the market to buy the foodstuffs they needed for the celebration, they could not find those foodstuffs because farmers did not produce and traders had none for sale.
A resident of Gusau in Zamfara State who preferred anonymity for fear of becoming a target of the bandits said his family had never had it this rough. He said despite there being no money, the little amount he had could have taken care of the household if there were foodstuffs to buy in the market.
“Walahi I have never experienced this kind of situation in my life before. Last year we celebrated Sallah. We bought the foodstuffs, yes they were very costly but then we saw them to buy. Can you imagine at our central market we could not find a basket of tomatoes? It’s unheard of that tomatoes were very scarce in Zamfara State.
“I didn’t believe it but that was the situation. You don’t even need to talk about rice and other stuff because even when there were rams to buy the money was not there and those who have the money that would have bought and given to those who could not afford it were scared of gathering crowds in their homes. So you see what these bandits and terrorists have done to us particularly in Zamfara State.
“We are living in fear every day. Since it’s like this in Gusau imagine what those in the villages are suffering. Our military is trying but their efforts have not been proved to be enough. When people living in Abuja or those who have escorts tell you that Zamfara State is safe, they are speaking from the side of those enjoying the customized security. I mean those the security men and women follow about and guard their homes and families,” he lamented.
“I just came back from my village where I went to celebrate Sallah with my people. In fact, instead of joy and happiness, I came back with pains and sorrow because of what is happening in our villages. Anyone telling you that these bandits have not done anything evil against us, such a person is evil himself”
Our sources could not believe the terrorism and banditry happening in Zamfara State has anything to do with religion as he wondered how a Muslim faithful could attack Muslims on prayer grounds and even Mosque and prevent them from celebrating Sallah which is a time of thanking and appreciating Allah for His mercies and blessings.
“It is now very clear that this issue of terrorism and banditry is not about Islam or Christianity. Those behind it have a personal and selfish reason for attacking the peace and unity of our country. How can a Muslim faithful prevent Muslims from celebrating Sallah when Allah commanded us to do it? What we celebrated was the remembrance of father Ibrahim offering of Ishaq for Allah but Allah provided a ram for him to offer in his place. Do these terrorists and bandits read the Quran and do they believe in what they read?
“Apart from the economic hardship, we were not sure of our lives. I mean going to the praying grounds for prayers and returning home with our loved ones but Allah is merciful. He protected us and that’s why we are here today.”
Abdullahi Musa Abdullahi attributed the inability to have a worthy Sallah celebration with his family to not only the paucity of funds but to the devastations of more than a decade long insecurity in the state which seems to defy every approach by the government.
“Yes everybody is crying there is no money but the worst is that even when you get the money you will not see what to buy with it. No food because farmers are not going to farm. Traders are not going to the market to sell again. Those of our brothers living in the villages where the food items are brought from are in greater danger than us in the city. They hide to do everything. There’s no freedom of any kind and businesses are grounded, how then can we survive not to talk of celebrating? What is happening in Zamfara State is worse than war.
“When I heard there was nowhere to get a basket of tomatoes in our market, I wondered what happened to the states that depend on our supply. It is very terrible. It is no longer a joke.
The government must show more commitment than what they are doing now. I mean government at all levels. This insecurity has lingered more than necessary. If there was a Sallah celebration in Zamfara State, it was among those living in the city and not everyone because people’s eyes and ears were wide open to avoid becoming victims. We need the government to do something.”
He further said the allegations that some top and high ranking individuals in the society may be feasting on the insecurity for it to last longer should be addressed by the government.
“Sometimes I am tempted to believe that the allegations that some top rich men are behind this insecurity is true. There is no reason a great country like Nigeria will battle with insecurity in the hands of terrorists and bandits for more than 10 years and yet our government does not know what to do and how to tackle it.
“We have brave soldiers both in the air and land but they seem to have been defeated by these terrorists and bandits. When you go to our villages you notice that the people don’t even have confidence in our military again. If there’s that confidence, the presence of soldiers will make us go to the farm because we will believe they can secure us but that is not true.
Their lives are also in danger. I am telling you, if this continues, the worst will happen to us. If we cannot celebrate Sallah, which is a yearly event, then how can we feed daily? Government should help us. We need the help now because delay is very dangerous,” he said.
In recent years, Zamfara State has witnessed an increase in attacks by gunmen locally known as bandits carrying out cattle rustling, mass kidnapping, and killings. These attacks have led to the destruction of lives and properties and violation of human rights.
Zamfara State is largely rural and agrarian with scattered farming settlements and cattle breeders. The overall employment structure indicates that, about 80% percent of the populace is engaged in agriculture.
The primary occupation of the populace is farming. Another economic activity is livestock production: sheep, cattle and goats are reared on a large scale. The main languages are Hausa, Fulani, Dakarkari and Kamaku. Zamfara State is predominantly Muslim.
A top Abuja-based businessman who traveled to celebrate Eid Al-Adha with his relatives returned with a tale of woes as he lamented that the activities of the bandits have left the state in total devastation.
According to him, Sallah celebration in his village was not even low-key because everybody including children, who used to take to the roads in celebration, stayed in their various homes. He wondered how long this could continue while every government promises to end it and the end is not in sight.
“I just came back from my village where I went to celebrate Sallah with my people. In fact, instead of joy and happiness, I came back with pains and sorrow because of what is happening in our villages. Anyone telling you that these bandits have not done anything evil against us, such a person is evil himself. Our villages are like war fronts and our people are conquered to the extent that we were not able to celebrate Salah. Those living in the big cities may not experience what our people are experiencing. It’s a serious matter. When will this end?”
Yakubu Yaran in his Sallah celebration account said celebrating Eid Al-Adha in Niger State in one of the villages sharing boundaries with Zamfara State remains a regrettable experience that he would have avoided if he had known that the situation had worsened.
He lamented that the villages were like ghost towns for fear of attacks from the bandits.
“Did we celebrate Sallah? No. Sallah is not what you stay indoors to celebrate. You go visiting friends and their families especially when you return from the city. I expected many visitors as usual having returned from the city and in turn, I would visit some homes but that didn’t happen. If you want to go out your family members will advise you to stay indoors because you don’t know who the bandits are or their informants. In this case, how can you say you traveled to celebrate when your freedom has completely ceased?
“The insecurity also affected foodstuffs. Come and see suffering in the villages. The Sallah that we prepared for one year, yet we could not buy the food items. It was like you have the money you can’t see the food items to buy. The local produce like tomatoes, pepper, onion and other items were unaffordable. Who talked about ram? I have just been thinking about our Christian brothers and sisters who will be celebrating Christmas later this year. If the situation continues like this, then we are in a big mess.
“The government can still do something. This is the time to do everything possible to end this terrorism and banditry because that is the only solution that will improve our economy, not all these fights over minimum wage which doesn’t concern the rural population. If terrorism and banditry are ended farmers would return to the farm and begin to produce, we will have food, money or no money people will feed. But no money, no foodstuffs in the market, what do we expect other than cry among the people?”
“Sallah celebration turned to lamentations. Even the big and rich men were lamenting also because there was no food to give to the poor. Even when they had the money they could not buy foodstuffs, cook and distribute to the less privileged as it is done during Sallah”
Corroborating, Kudu Saleh said the activities of bandits have taken away celebration from the people. He said rather than celebrating people were lamenting.
“Sallah celebration turned to lamentations. Even the big and rich men were lamenting also because there was no food to give to the poor. Even when they had the money they could not buy foodstuffs, cook and distribute to the less privileged as it is done during Sallah. We Muslims take joy in feeding others during Sallah. We even share food with our Christian brothers and sisters but what happened in this last Sallah is worrisome. This is a bitter experience that I pray should not happen again. Imagine in Niger State people lamenting that there’s no food. A tuber of yam is sold for N6, 000. You can’t see tomatoes, onion, and pepper. Rice is a no go area. It was a bleak Sallah celebration.”
From Kaduna State, the story was worse as celebration turned to mourning with bandits’ invasion and killing of at least six persons after attacking Bauda and Chibiya communities of Maro Ward in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The bandits were said to have stormed the two villages on Monday afternoon being a Sallah public holiday and unleashed terror on the residents, killing six persons.
The blood-thirsty marauders later took an unspecified number of people away. Several others also sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The Chairman of Kajuru LGA, Ibrahim Gajere, said the bandits invaded the communities on motorcycles on Monday afternoon, and immediately shot two persons dead at Bauda village.
He said the gunmen later killed four others at Chibiya village including a visitor to the community.
The council boss, in a statement, explained that four of the victims were killed on their farms while two others were killed in their homes.
Gajere also disclosed that the rampaging bandits set about seven residential buildings ablaze alongside eight motorcycles.
He said security operatives have been notified of the incident and have intensified patrols within and around the communities.
It was not only a situation that people were not able to celebrate Sallah but also the loss of lives and properties on a day people were meant to have rest.
An indigene of Kajuru who resides in the FCT told The Point on the plea of anonymity that such attacks are no longer news. He said his people expect it on a daily basis because the immediate past government emboldened the bandits who saw killing of the people as nothing.
“What would have surprised me is to read that the bandits did not attack our people during the Sallah celebration. I expected it but one day Allah will expose those behind this evil.
Imagine when people are supposed to be resting on a public holiday to celebrate Sallah was the day those evil people invaded our villages, killed, abducted and destroyed properties.
“The government should stop this deceit. If they want to end this insecurity, they will do it within one week. They can’t claim not to know the people behind it. We were trying to come out of Boko Haram terrorism the next was banditry. Yet the government is pretending to be ignorant of those perpetrating these heinous crimes against our people. The blood of the slain will speak. Allah will take revenge for them. It’s not about whether they are Muslims or Christians. They are Nigerians. We all celebrate both Sallah and Christmas together.”