People who pay ransoms to kidnappers complicate our job –Yekini, Operation Whirl Stroke commander

The Commander, Operation Whirl Stroke covering Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states, Major General Adeyemi Yekini, tells UMAR MOHAMMED about the state of security in the region and the challenges faced by his troops.

How are you dealing with the worsening spate of violence and insecurity in the states under your control?

First of all, the mandate of Operation Whirl Stroke was issued last May. So we are just spending exactly one year in the field. Operation Whirl Stroke was established by Defence Headquarters to check the incessant cases of killings by armed herdsmen, armed bandits and other acts of violence by criminal gangs in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states. We have our troops deployed in the three states and the headquarters of the operation is in Benue State. We have been pursuing our mandate with determination and one can say with every sense of modesty that we have been able to make some impact in the three states within one year.

Some Nigerians believe that the heads of the military, the police and other security agencies should feel embarrassed by the worsening state of insecurity in the country, including in the states under your control. How would you respond to that?

Well, before we came in last year, especially into Benue State, I am sure most of us remember the high level of insecurity and killings that were going on in the state at that time, up till last April, May. When you compare that with the situation of things today, one will agree that Operation Whirl Stroke has been able to stabilise things substantially in Benue State, in particular. The story is similar in Nasarawa State. Prior to the induction of our operation, Nasarawa was bedevilled by security challenges, including farmers/herders’ crisis and fights between the Bassa and Egbura in Toto Local Government Area of the state. But we thank God that today the area is now relatively peaceful, even if we still have occasional outbreaks of violence, which are quickly brought under control. The Bassa and Egbura communities are in the process of working together and this will bring peace to that troubled zone. I only mentioned that as an example. Other areas like Tunga in Awe, Keana Local Government Area and Rukubi in Ondori that used to have serious security challenges in the past are now relatively peaceful. Of course, peace is relative. We cannot achieve absolute peace. It’s not just possible. But what we have on the ground is a far cry from the level of insecurity that we were having prior to the deployment of Operation Whirl Stroke. Overall, there is nothing to make anybody to feel embarrassed. I think we have done relatively well. In the case of Taraba State, one can say that we still have occasional challenges here and there but the kind of criminality and violence that we used to have in Taraba has also reduced substantially. The only problem we have that is still prominent is the Jukun/Tiv crisis, but even that has subsided with the intervention of our forces. So I think things have improved considerably in our area of operation. I prefer to restrict myself to Operation Whirl Stroke’s area of responsibility only. So to a large extent, I think we have done well in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states. That’s however not to say that we still don’t face some challenges.

Kidnappings have become a common phenomenon in the country, including in the states where you operate, what are you doing about it?

One cannot but agree that kidnapping is a key issue and on our part we are doing our best to combat the menace in our area of operation. There used to be a time when there were so many cases of kidnapping along the Katsina Ala-Takum axis, especially around the boundary between Taraba and Benue states. Most of the cases of kidnapping were being perpetrated by Gana and his criminal gang. So we were able to track some of these kidnappers to their den at Dogon Dawa at the border between the two states. We were able to destroy the kidnappers’ den and recover some weapons. The last operation we had around Katsina Ala has helped to virtually eliminate kidnapping around that area. Even in Taraba State, it was mostly this same Gana boys that were mostly responsible for the spate of kidnappings in the state, but during the recent operations at Gbise, which is Gana’s hometown, we were able to neutralise many of them, recover weapons and even arrest many of them who are now facing prosecution. So to a large extent, Taraba is relatively calm as we speak though we still have occasional cases in other areas that we are already addressing.

For Nasarawa State, before now, kidnapping was not really that much of an issue but it is now becoming an issue in the state too and already we are looking at it. For instance, we have identified one or two kidnappers’ camps, but I won’t mention the area. We plan to carry out operations probably in the next seven days to take them out. We will collaborate with other security forces on the ground to achieve our common goal.

A local government chairman in the North recently said that they pay ransoms to kidnappers and bandits every day. Are you even aware that the problem is that serious?

I still wish to focus on my area of operational responsibility. To that extent, I can say that I’m not sure there is anybody who will tell you that he pays bandits money in Nasarawa, Benue or Taraba states. For kidnapping, the only time people who pay ransom are those who refuse to alert security agents or those who go behind our back to pay money to kidnappers. But I think that is very wrong because by paying, we are aiding the kidnappers to get more money to continue with their nefarious activities. So we urge the public to please alert the security forces and allow us to do our job if you know of any kidnapping case. If the incident is in Nasarawa, Benue and

Taraba states, let us know about it and we will come and see what we can do about it. But as I have said before, we cannot do it alone; we will work with other security forces on the ground to find solution to the problem.

But some traditional rulers in the North have been threatened or made to pay bandits to buy their freedom. Have you received such complaints from them?

I am too sure if such thing is happening in my area here, I would know about it. Maybe it’s happening in other places, which I don’t know. However, for Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states, I don’t think we have cases of traditional rulers paying bandits money to ensure there security.

Some Nigerians are saying that it is obvious that the strategy of the military is not working in arresting insecurity in the country. Would you say there is a need for you to re-strategise?

Again, let’s limit this interview to Operation Whirl Stroke. That is the area I am competent to talk about. Our records in the past one year can speak for us.  We have so far recovered 174 assorted weapons, over 3,000 rounds of ammunition, arrested over 167 suspects, while 139 bandits have been killed during encounters with our forces. So I think to a large extent, one can say that our strategy is working but we are not resting on our oars. As far as I am concerned, we are just starting. We will put in our very best to ensure that there is substantial peace and stability in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states.

Every day, we hear about bandits here and there. Where do these bandits come from or what has your investigation revealed to you?

You will need to be specific about the areas you have in mind.

For instance, in Toto LGA of Nasarawa State, Akwanga and other areas.

Toto Local Government is now relatively peaceful. You can go there to verify things.  I have troops in Toto and the area is okay. Areas such as Akwanga and other places you mentioned, we are extending our security searchlight to these areas to ensure that they have relative peace. We will continue to collaborate with other security forces to achieve this goal.

Allegations of poor welfare for soldiers have refused to go away as the country fights insurgency and other security challenges. What do you think can be done to improve the situation?

My troops are well catered for.  The authorities are providing us with what is required for the troops in terms of welfare, equipment and other logistics. To that extent, I think we should thank the Defence Headquarters for providing all the necessary things that the troops require to do what they are expected to do. So we are very grateful to the higher authorities for the support they have been giving to Operation Whirl Stroke. So we don’t have any problem as regards logistics.

What would you describe as the major challenges your troops have encountered since the commencement of this Operation Whirl Stroke that is under your control?

On our side, the only area where we seem to have a little challenge has to do with the reluctance of some people to provide timely information that will lead to the arrest of criminals in their area. This was the case especially in Katsina Ala in Benue State. It used to be very difficult before now to get people to give information to us on the activities of Gana and his gang in that area. But with the last operation we had, we realised that the perception is gradually changing. We are getting cooperation from the people more than before. In other trouble spots such as Lau in Taraba State, people have been coming forward with information. We have been acting on them hence we have recorded some successes there. Same thing applies to Nasarawa State. Let me give you an example. The operation we had at Zwere in Toto Local Government during which we were able to recover up to 36 assorted weapons, we wouldn’t have achieved that feat without some level of cooperation and timely information from members of the public. So we require such types of cooperation if we are to succeed and I think people are ready or are now seeing the need to provide us with such assistance so that we can be able to help them maintain adequate security in their places.

What would tell the people of Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa states if you had the opportunity?

I would say please, give us timely information. We need information. The nature of our activities as Special Forces is such that our operations are intelligence based. We are a very mobile force with a long reach. Our strength lies in our ability to respond quickly to emergencies and if we don’t have the required information, we will not able to achieve much. What we want is information, information and information. We also go beyond just military operations alone. In many cases, we try to look at the underlying causes of some of the crises to see how we can address their root causes. This often requires us to have regular meetings with stakeholders to address the root causes of the problems. This has given us so much success in places like Lau and Toto. We are also applying this same strategy to sort out the Tiv/Jukun crisis in collaboration with the state governments. Let’s look at another instance, the fight between the Bassa and Egbura has always been about Bassa wanting to have‘chiefdom’. I think the

Nasarawa State Government is already trying to address that. This has helped to promote peace in that area.

But as we speak, cases of kidnapping are increasing on a daily basis in Wamba and Akwanga local government areas of the state.

Remember what I said earlier, our job is not to take over the security from the security outfits on the ground. We are working with other security agencies on the ground on all the areas mentioned to track down the kidnappers and apprehend them. I only mentioned Toto because it is a very prominent area with problems in Nasarawa State. Actually, we conduct operations in the entire Nasarawa State.

How many weapons have so far been recovered by your men in Nasarawa State?

So far, we have recovered a total of 125 assorted weapons in Nasarawa State. In addition, we recovered about 2,235 ammunition in the state. Furthermore, no fewer than 52 people were arrested and 41 persons killed during our numerous operations in Nasarawa State. This shows that we recovered more weapons in Nasarawa than Benue and Taraba combined. I already gave the overall figure for the three states.

Culled from Punch