Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (retd), has urged the military leadership, led by Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) Gen. Christopher Musa, to swiftly end banditry and killings across the country.
The retired general issued this call on Tuesday in Abuja during the launch of the book Big Boots: Lessons From My Military Service, authored by Maj. Gen. Solomon Udounwa (retd).
Speaking to both serving and retired military officials, including Gen. Musa, Danjuma emphasized the responsibility of current officers to tackle the ongoing threat of banditry and senseless violence. He stated, “We must end the banditry and the killings in our country as soon as possible. The responsibility is on your shoulders; those of you who are still serving. No excuses, absolutely no excuses. God bless you. God bless our country.”
In response, Gen. Musa assured that the Armed Forces remain resolute in their fight against banditry and terrorism. He vowed that the military would not be deterred and would work to bring bandits to justice. “The Armed Forces of Nigeria are willing, dedicated, and committed to restoring peace and security in our country. We shall not be deterred. I want to assure you that we have learned much from your records. We cannot afford to fail and we will not fail,” Gen. Musa told Danjuma.
The North-West and North-Central regions of Nigeria have been plagued by banditry, with recent data from security intelligence firm SBM Intelligence indicating that ₦1.04 billion was paid as ransom to kidnappers last year. The report revealed that 7,568 people were abducted in 1,130 incidents nationwide during this period. Kidnappers demanded approximately ₦11 billion (about $6.87 million) in ransom but only received ₦1.05 billion, a mere 9.5% of the total demanded.
The report highlighted that Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina states had the highest numbers of kidnapping incidents and victims, with Zamfara recording 132 incidents and 1,639 victims, Kaduna 113 incidents and 1,113 victims, and Katsina 119 incidents and 887 victims. The firm also noted that, on average, a person is killed in each attempted kidnapping.