Who are the criminals kidnapping girls from schools in Nigeria

More than 300 Nigerian schoolgirls were kidnapped on Friday in a new act by criminal groups who terrorize the population, steal livestock and loot villages.

According to the Nigerian newspaper Daily trust, the attackers broke into the Government secondary school for girls, in Jangebe, and abducted the students, which the police eventually confirmed 317, after different versions that indicated that they were over 500.

The Daily Trust had the opportunity to learn more about this group of bandits about which little is known in Nigeria and around the world.

“Leader of the terrorists operating on the northern flank”, was the sentence he introduced himself with Halilu, middle-aged commander of a few 1000 thugs located in the state of Zamfara.

“Kachalla Halilu Sububu Seno, leader of all terrorists. He is the leader “said a lieutenant with an AK-47 rifle whom Halilu asked to speak to Nigerian media.

The meeting between the journalist and members of criminal groups took place in the western part of Shinkafi, in the estado de Zamfara. The bandits’ hideout is the vast sububu forest, known for its well-armed militants who for years terrorized the local communities of Shinkafi, Zurmi, Maradun, Maru and Talata Mafara of Zamfara.

From the same place and adjoining woods, armed men on motorcycles too launch attacks and kidnap villagers and travelers in the local governments of Sabon Birni, Rabah and Isa, in the state of Sokoto.

The group, known locally as “Given” in Hausa language, it is led by Halilu, a man certain middle-aged (nomadic). His name is Kachalla, which represents a honorary name of gang leaders among bandits.

Halilu is one of Nigeria’s most feared bandits. Having spent years building an army of young men and an arsenal of weapons, he is considered invincible, despite the emergence of other feared bandits, notably Kachalla Turji in the nearby Kagara forest, and Jumo Smoli, who leads another gang that takes refuge around the Bakalori River.

The locals speak of Halilu with some fear. He is famous for his cruelty and his cunning face.

Two years ago a Peace agreement between the Halilu gang and the Shinkafi communities, which has led to relative peace in the region.

However, the gain of Shinkafi is the misfortune of other communities. While Halilu provides security for the Shinkafi area, protecting against marauding thieves, the deal, locals say, has provided Halilu and his gang with a haven from which to launch attacks elsewhere.

Shehu Rekep, which few people know, is another of Nigeria’s most feared bandits. He is considered one of the first to introduce armed banditry into the north of the country.

Shehu Rekep himself confirmed his long association with weapons, which is evident in some scars and gills on his right hand. Since he took up arms about 20 years ago, terrorized people across Nigeria and most neighboring countries.

Rekep attributed the uprising of the Fulani bandits to long-term neglect of successive governments, especially since the return to democracy.

“The reason is negligence. We have been neglected. This country is a nation rich in natural resources, but we (the Fulani) have not been educated, we are not protected, they kill us but we are always denounced as aggressors. We are never taken into account in anything; they kill us “, said in an interview with the reporter from Daily trust.

He claimed that years of encroachment on pastures and foreign exchange reserves, as well as the confiscation of livestock by security guards and members of local watch groups, have impoverished most of the Fulani in the forests.

Rekep claimed that for the Fulani to lay down their arms, the government should end the aforementioned injustice and neglect they complain about and treat them like the rest of Nigerians.

“What we demand is that the way they give work to their children and enroll young people in schools, also with us, is the same. The Hausa, the Yoruba and the Fulani should be treated the same, ”he said.

The bandit leader claimed that the government refused to respect the agreements reached in previous peace pacts.

Rekep assured that Nigerian security forces neither have the capacity nor the means to defeat the bandits since they are in the thousands and are located all over the country. I affirm that people die daily due to the availability of weapons and ammunition in the hands of civilians and security forces.

“There is not a day when there are no deaths in Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna, Sokoto and Katsina,” he said.

According to him, the killings affect all Nigerians, regardless of their ethnic origin.

“There is no tribe that is unaffected. Bandits kill, soldiers kill and vigilantes kill too. Anyone who sees with a gun what they do is kill. Every day people are dying. They might not know it, but if he spoke about the situation in this country, they would cry. Even the president will cry“, Did he declare.

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