AN rising variety of states in Nigeria’s northwest have imposed bans on the motion of bikes in an try and deal with a latest spate of lethal assaults carried out by prison gangs generally known as bandits.
The armed bandits sometimes use bikes to flee after finishing up their assaults, the newest of which was in Kaduna state final Sunday the place at the very least 34 individuals have been killed together with two troopers.
Greater than 200 properties have been additionally destroyed within the assault on 4 villages, Kaduna officers mentioned in a press release.
In a separate incident on Sunday, motorcycle-riding bandits carried out a raid in a distant village of Zamfara state — additionally within the northwestern a part of the nation — killing 16 individuals.
Every week earlier than that, one other armed gang killed 11 safety personnel, together with seven policemen and 4 vigilantes, in assaults in central and northwestern Nigeria.
Native authorities have mentioned that lethal assaults and abductions have intensified.
Will banning motorbikes cease the assaults?
Nigeria’s bandit violence has its origins within the clashes between farmers and nomadic cattle herders
Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara states are hoping the bike ban will assist cut back the spate of lethal assaults.
Katsina state governor’s safety adviser, Ibrahim Ahmed, advised DW that actions of motorbikes within the state have been restricted between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
“Really in Katsina state his excellency has put in place govt order that curtail the actions of motorcyclists particularly within the frontline native authorities areas, allowing for that the main device the prison components are utilizing in perpetrating their crimes are the bikes,” Ahmed mentioned.
Sokoto state police spokesperson, ASP Sanusi Abubakar, advised DW that law enforcement officials there are on excessive alert to clamp down on the motion of those bandits.
In a single day banditry
“The state authorities has enacted the containment order which was enforced by Nigeria police and different safety businesses right here in Sokoto State to ban the motion of bike,” Abubakar revealed.
Ibrahim Ahmed from the Katsina state governor’s offoce defined that the ban in his state is crucial as a result of “many of the prison actions are perpetrated within the night time.”
“The federal government is pondering of reviewing the technique as a result of it’s a must to evolve knowledge-based method with the intention to deal with all these. Because the crime evolves, you set in mechanisms to comprise it,” Ahmed mentioned.
In keeping with Sokoto’s police spokesperson: “the measures taken by the state authorities in collaboration with safety businesses has yielded optimistic consequence up to now, and we’re nonetheless on prime of the problems to make sure the security of lives and property within the state.”
Did earlier bans work?
In 2011, bikes have been banned in Nigeria’s northern Borno state, a stronghold of militant Islamist motion Boko Haram, to stop drive-by assaults by the group.
Boko Haram has used gunmen on motorbikes to assassinate safety officers, civilians and politicians as a result of the bikes present a quick technique of escape.
Borno’s neighboring state, Yobe, in 2012 outlawed bike using at any time.
The identical 12 months, Adamawa and Taraba states additionally banned bikes from their states capitals — Yola and Jalingo respectively.
However earlier this 12 months, Yobe lifted its ban throughout 10 native authorities areas.
Authorities there say the safety state of affairs has improved and due to this fact there isn’t any want to take care of the bans.
Reversing the ban
Alhaji Abdullahi Usman Kukuwa, Yobe state commissioner of transport revealed to DW that the “ban on the motorbike use has recorded a variety of successes. The one means out was to ban bikes in Borno and Yobe and this determination efficiently decreased the speed of crime dedicated by motorcyclists.”
Safety analyst Abubakar Mai Shanu agrees on the effectiveness of banning the usage of bikes used to commit crimes.
“I believe in the event you take a look at what was occurring earlier than the prison have been utilizing motorbikes for snap operations. […] I believe it was a clever determination for governments to ban these bikes,” Shanu mentioned.
He nevertheless now helps the choice to take away the ban.
“For each step or each coverage that authorities takes there must be a evaluate. If we take a look at it once more lots of people have been minimize off from their livelihood and different issues, in as a lot as our safety is essential,” Shanu defined.
Extra must be achieved
However not everyone seems to be hopeful that the ban on the usage of bikes will utterly cease the bandit assaults.
Nigerian safety knowledgeable, retired Main Bishir Galma, advised DW that regardless of earlier bans the assaults have not stopped.
“From all indication, we’re nonetheless listening to huge motion by these bandits on the motorbike in every single place. What it means right here is, they should have a method of procuring or having these bikes in every single place,” Galma mentioned.
He added: “there may be additionally lack of efficient enforcement of this bans particularly within the rural areas. It is rather exhausting to actually implement this within the rural areas. Even when you will implement it, it will likely be in a really small space and could also be it should have an effect on non-public house owners who’re real utilizing the bikes for trustworthy jobs.”
Galma mentioned the perfect resolution in coping with crimes dedicated with bikes is to ban the sale of “these bikes to those rural areas.”
Nigeria’s bandit violence has its origins in clashes over land between farmers and cattle herders within the northwest but it surely has now spiralled into wider prison exercise.
Mohammad Al-Amin and Yusuf Ibrahim Jargaba contributed to this text
Edited by: Keith Walker