Daredevil gunmen wreaking havoc across the country have resumed their onslaught on citizens following a brief respite caused by the cash crunch.
According to reports, the assailants’ activities were halted by the recent cash scarcity caused by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) redesigning of old naira notes.
The apex bank announced on February 10 that the old N200, N500, and N1000 notes would no longer be legal tender as it moved to implement its cashless policy.
The development sparked debate because the new notes were not yet available, resulting in a severe cash shortage.
However, following several lawsuits, the CBN yielded to pressure on March 23 and allowed the old naira notes to coexist with the newly redesigned notes until December 31, 2023.
It was observed that during the cash crisis, the level of kidnapping and other criminal elements’ activities was obviously reduced as methods of remitting ransom became difficult.
However, the relative calm that prevailed across the country during the cash crunch appears to have ended, as bandits, herdsmen militia, and other criminal elements resumed their heinous and murderous acts.
Several people have been killed and others have been abducted in the last few days by bloodthirsty criminals.
Point of Sale (POS) operators are not immune to the unfortunate attacks. Since the apex bank began cash recirculation, several of them have been robbed and even killed.
The dreaded gunmen have been on the rampage in many states, particularly Benue, Zamfara Bayelsa, Lagos, Nasarawa, Kogi, and other states with serious security threats, kidnapping and killing unsuspecting citizens in recent days.
On Sunday, April 2, armed men suspected of being kidnappers attacked the Christian Pentecostal Church in Akenawe-Tswarev community, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, killing one worshipper and whisking away the resident pastor and three other people to an unknown destination.
Similarly, bandits kidnapped at least 100 people from farmlands in Zamfara and Katsina states on Wednesday.
The armed gang raided Wanzamai, a community on the Zamfara-Katsina border, and whisked the farmers to their hideout, according to DAILY POST.
Recall that a former deputy governor of Nasarawa State, Prof Onje Gye-wado, was kidnapped by the daredevil gunmen on Friday morning.
According to reports, Onje Gye-wado, a former deputy governor of the state who served during the administration of Abdullahi Adamu, was kidnapped when assailants invaded Gwagi village in the state’s Wamba Local Government Area.
Among the more concerning recent attacks was one in the Enetekpa Adoka district of Benue State’s Otukpo Local Government Area, in which over 40 people were killed by suspected herdsmen militia.
The incident, which resulted in the deaths of 46 people, including the son of Otukpo Local Government Chairman Hon. Bako Eje, and still counting, occurred following a series of other attacks in the area.
According to Lt Col. Paul Hemba (retd.), Special Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom on Security, who confirmed the development to journalists on Thursday, 46 corpses were recovered from the scene.
Many people were still missing as of Saturday evening, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to our correspondent about the incident.
