Written By Isma’il Adamu; Edited By Godwin Duru
What was meant to be a secret arms deal has turned into a major dispute after a suspected gunrunner allegedly collected N95 million from a bandit leader in Katsina with a promise to deliver high-grade firearms, but vanished without delivering on the promise.
The incident happened in Matazu Local Government Area which has been in the spotlight for its high rate of banditry, kidnapping and violent crime in recent months.
Narrating how the incident unfolded, the House of Representatives Member for Musawa/Matazu Federal Constituency, Abdullahi Aliyu, said the failed arms deal has heightened tension in the area as the bandit leader now vents his frustration on residents.
“In our attempt to address genuine grievances to restore peace in Matazu, we met with the bandit leader, Kachalla, who had once repented along with his boys and was helping the peace process until things fell apart again.
“In the course of our discussions, he said one of his grievances was the way a gunrunner scammed him and collected N95 million with the promise to supply weapons, but ended up disappearing with the money.
“The bandit leader was so bitter that it was one of the first things he mentioned during the meeting. Unfortunately, our communities have been suffering because of that incident, but we had to get to the root of it. We were able to apprehend the gunrunner and hand him over to the police in Katsina.
“However, he claimed that the amount he collected from Kachalla was N25 million not N95 million, but the High Court ordered an investigation and in the course of investigation a POS operator was arrested in Matazu.
“The transactions were traceable because they did it electronically using mobile money wallets. The police were able to trace transactions between the POS operator and the gunrunner to the tune of N95 million.
“This was how the transactions were made: the bandit leader sent his agents with the money in cash, they met the POS operator at a filling station, and the POS operator transferred the money to the gunrunner’s mobile wallet account in installments.
“When I met the gunrunner face-to-face I was so disappointed that I started feeling dizzy. What was most disappointing was that he is a member of the community, yet he was involved in this illicit business. How can we be having sleepless nights to protect them, only for them to be aiding the bandits?”, Aliyu wondered.
The lawmaker’s account has fuelled fresh discussions about the extent of porosity of Nigeria’s borders, how criminals exploit it for arms trafficking, and its role in sustaining banditry in the North-West zone of the country.
It would be recalled that the bandit leader, Kachalla, was leading the peace deal between repentant bandits and communities in Matazu until he walked away from the peace treaty in April, citing violations by some members of the community.
Meanwhile, security operatives are sustaining the offensive against bandits across Musawa, Matazu, Malumfashi and other frontline local government areas in the southern and central parts of the state.
