Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Malam Surajo Agaji, chairman of the Jibia Local Government Area Security Committee in Katsina State, has recounted how a bandit leader took him and others into a forest in Batsari LGA and showed them the body of Umar, a young victim reportedly abducted from Jibia.
Agaji said the bandit leader claimed Umar had been handed over alive after his family paid a ransom but was subsequently killed by people from Jibia who allegedly feared he would expose their involvement in the abduction.
According to Agaji’s account, the bandit leader identified three men whom he accused of participating in the kidnapping. Two were reportedly from Jibia, while the third was said to be from Katsina.
Agaji further recounted that the bandit leader accused the men of killing Umar because they feared the victim could identify them and reveal their alleged role in his abduction.
The account stated that the three men were detained and later killed on the bandit leader’s orders after he reportedly refused to hand them over to security agencies. He allegedly expressed concern that they might be released or that their cases could drag on through the judicial process.
The allegations paint a disturbing picture of how suspected criminal collaboration can complicate efforts to tackle kidnapping and banditry in communities already struggling with insecurity.
However, the claims concerning the abduction, the alleged involvement of the three men and the circumstances surrounding their deaths have not been independently verified. Further clarification from the police and other relevant security agencies is needed.
The incident has renewed concerns about alleged local collaborators who may provide information or assistance to armed groups operating in north-western Nigeria. It also raises questions about accountability when armed groups take it upon themselves to detain and kill people accused of crimes outside the formal justice system.
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