Bandits have taken over and established camps in vast areas of land belonging to the Nigerian Army (NA) in Kontagora Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State and are using the area as sanctuary to terrorize parts of the State.
Kontangora LGA hosts three major Army formations, a Barracks located in Kontagora town, the hedquarters of the Nigerian Army Corps of Artillery (NACA) and the Nigerian Army Training Centre (NATRAC).
The vast Army land has various mountains and it is at ‘flat and levelled surfaces’ on top of the mountains that a yet-to-be-identified private helicopter often ‘touches down.’ However, it is not yet clear who owns the helicopter and the mission it regularly undertakes to the bandits’ hideouts.
But sources noted that whenever the white helicopter hovers around communities within Kontagora and Mariga axis, bandits’ attack follows.
The bandits have established their camps at Matan Kari, Fagai, Ozowo, Bihima and Kan Libo, among other mountains inside the army land.
The camps are located in mountainous areas within the vast areas of land and it is allegedly the place where the bandits first gather abducted victims of their raids before matching them to Kaduna, Zamfara and other Northern States, via forests’ paths.
In addition, the camps are also being used by bandits operating within the axis to congregate herds of rustled cattle before ferrying them beyond the State’s borders.
The expansive land belonging to the Army was used for frequent Training Exercises especially in the 90s and it starts from the Army Barrack in Kontagora town and extends to Mai Guge community, in Mariga LGA, covering over 40 kilometres in length.
According to PRNigeria, “though the expansive Army land is yet to be fenced, a deep pit apparently for a foundation has been dug, right after the Barrack gate, before entering Kontagora metropolis. The foundation pit, covering over 40 kilometres, extends to Mai Gegu.
“The Army, at various points beside the Kontagora-Mariga road, mounted the signage of their land, indicating ownership.
“It warned trespassers to keep off. The inscription on the signage reads: “Nigerian Army Training Area Kontagora Army Land Keep Off/Ba Shiga.”
The Army fully paid for the land from the Kambaris, who were the original owners until they sold it over 30 years ago.
Now, with most parts of the land uninhabited, they are now a major base of not only banditry, and kidnapping, but also illegal mining.
Sources said that a team of Policemen and local vigilantes embarked on daring missions to the notorious camps of the bandits on the mountainous hideouts, on three separate occasions last year, where they recovered syringes, cans of soft drinks, spare parts of motor cycles, plugs, among other relics.
The bandits usually emerge from various portions of the Army land, cross the Kontagora-Mariga road to attack Usande, Magauta, Dutsen Magaji, and other sparse communities, on the other side of the highway.
Sources noted that the bandits have taken advantage of the ‘unfenced and porous’ uninhabited Army land as haven, using the vast areas “invade communities and wreak havoc across parts of Niger East. The bandits’ camps also served as escape routes for the criminals when other security personnel are mobilized for counter and rescue operations.
He noted that when bandits attack communities surrounding Kontagora town, they flee with their victims and rustled cattle to their camps inside the Nigerian Army land.
“Unfortunately, the Army will deny us permission to chase the fleeing criminals. We have, on several occasions, informed the military authorities that their domain is used by bandits for cover. But they refused to cooperate with us, often telling us that the people our intelligence reports indicate are bandits, are actually not,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army says it is devising new measures to tackle the activities of the criminals on its land and in neighbouring communities, saying that already, extra troops have been deployed in the area to protect the citizens.
Saying that the current situation at the Army’s vast land and communities worst hit by banditry is being looked into for prompt actions, the source noted: “I am aware that the Nigerian Army under the current leadership of Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru has given directive on the need for the fencing, especially some strategic portions of the land since a foundation pit has already been dug.
“The military high commands is also considering the probability of building Satellite Camps and even Super Camps in various places within the land. The interesting thing now is the fact that there has been a tremendous synergy of the military, the police and other security agencies across the entire Niger State, not only within Kontagora and Mariga local governments.”
Niger State, popularly called “The Power State” because of its housing the Kainji and Shiroro hydro-electric dams, is battling battling to contain the banditry which had since engulfed the entire “Zone C.”
And recently, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello confirmed the presence of Boko Haram terrorists in the State.
He told newsmen, after visiting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at their camp in Minna, that the insurgents also hoisted their flag in Kaure, Shiroro Local Government Area.
