By; Mohammed Kawu, Bauchi
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi has appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his intervention on the serious security challenges that befell Alkaleri Local Government Area of the state, and neighboring Gombe, Plateau and Taraba states.
He said, “We are happy to express our deepest gratitude to Allah and His Excellency, Mr President for the very monumental security situation that we were able to achieved in Bauchi state after the intervention of Mr President.
The Governor who explained that the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was based on the plea and request the state government made, also expressed the state’s deepest gratitude to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), IGP’s Office and Director SSS for the feat.
Senator Bala Mohammed while addressing a press conference shortly after the meeting of the State Security Council, revealed that over 20, 000 were neutralized with only few among them fled, others with various degrees of injuries.
Governor Bala said, “To our amazement, the security situation was worse than what we thought because of the prepondorences of settlements of bandits between 10, 000 to 20, 000 that were around the forest of ‘Dajin Madam” and another forest in Taraba, and some communities around Bauchi state”.
He added, “All those places have been deciminated and disrupted, and our services the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Armed Forces, security services and technical intelligence experts have done so much, and the NSA, and our vigilante groups have worked for two weeks to achieve this unprecedented feat”
The Governor further explained that the operation was backed by serious intensive intelligence gathering, areal reconences, and tacking and interception. We have never seen this kind of professionalism and federal might that was deployed to Bauchi state, and of course Plateau and Taraba.
He assured that the Special Forces will continue to conduct aereal monitoring execute targeted thrives, and the remaining elements, if any, so that they will be deciminated, adding, “But we have come to a level where we must show responsibility and respite”.
“Community intelligence and responsibility must be deployed so that we would remain vigilant before any suspicious movements or activities, and that there should be security sharing, so that any individual found providing logistics support and sharing intelligence with bandits will be dealt with”.
He emphasized the urgent need to profile population, and community around the area in such a manner that would carry their data and biometric for all the residents around the area and for new settlers that are coming so that the government don’t provide ungovern space that is not monitored and evaluated.
Governor Bala stated that the decision to escalate operations followed a major security crackdown that exposed widespread banditry across forest corridors linking Bauchi with Plateau and Taraba states, noticing that soldiers overran several camps and destroyed logistics bases in the Dajin Madam forest.
Mohammed further commended the Tinubu-led federal government for its decisive response to the state’s security concerns, disclosing that four warplanes were deployed to bombard criminal hideouts successfully, including the clearing of several camps and disrupting the mobility of the armed groups.
Several motorcycles used by the criminals were destroyed thereby limiting their operational capability, the Governor went on, revealing that troops have now established a firm presence within the forests to consolidate these gains and prevent re-infiltration.
The Governor further disclosed that a “surrender window” has been opened for bandits operating within and around Bauchi, and advised them to lay down their arms, clarifying that this initiative is not an amnesty but a supervised opportunity for rehabilitation and reintegration
Senator Bala Mohammed similarly called on those still in hiding to surrender now, assuring the surrendees of the state government’s arrangements to relocate them, along with their families, noticing that many suspects are not originally from Bauchi state, and reiterated commitment to sustain collaboration with traditional institutions and federal authorities to guarantee lasting peace and stability across the state.
This initiative, according to him, will aim to eliminate ungoverned spaces previously been exploited by criminal elements to launch attacks, saying l.the state government is poised to strengthen community-based security by recruiting and supporting local vigilante groups to complement formal security agencies.
“Biometric profiling and institutional reforms are part of broader security reforms. The introduction of stricter surveillance measures, including biometric data collection and intelligence-led monitoring of markets and motor parks. Bauchi also plan to collaborate with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to conduct a biometric profiling exercise of residents in vulnerable communities”, Mohammed concluded.
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