Food Scarcity Hits Bandits

By Tosin Olatokunbo

After kidnapping over 100 students from the Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna on Monday, the bandits who carried out the evil operation have suddenly realized that they cannot survive without food. The criminals are now demanding for food items such as rice, beans and condiments to feed the students, even though analysts insist that the bandits are facing serious shortage of food supply in their hideouts.

Feeding has become a big problem for the bandits, analysts say, as security agencies tighten noose on their food supply and sponsors.

On June 8, security operatives arrested one Hassan Magaji, alongside his associates Abubakar Ibrahim, Auwal Abubakar and Ibrahim Kabiru who were supplying bread to bandits in Kaduna state.

During his testimony, Magaji who owns a bakery said he made N400, 000 monthly from selling bread to the bandits.

“My relative, Mustafa Magaji, who owns several bread factories, visited in 2018 and taught me how to bake cakes. I used the N21,000 that I was able to save to start the business and now I make at least N400, 000 a month,” the suspect said.

The bandits invaded Maraban Rido in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State and abducted many students some of who later escaped, and are now with their parents.

According to Punch a member of the school management confided in the newspaper that 121 students of the school were in their custody and needed to be fed.

The official said the bandits first called on Monday and allowed one of the students to speak to a top member of the school management.

It was learnt that they called again on Tuesday and allowed two senior students, a boy and a girl, to speak to a top official of the school.

It was gathered that the senior students confirmed that there were 121 of them with the bandits.

The official said, “When the phone rang, the bandits first spoke to the member of the management. They said a senior student was directed to count the students in their custody and the boy confirmed that 121 students were being held. They also asked for food such as rice and beans as well oil to feed the students.

“Later, the senior student, who counted the abductees, said there were 121 of them with the bandits,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the management of the school and parents of the abducted students met on Tuesday on ways to rescue the abductees, after the management confirmed that 121 students were being held by the bandits.

The proprietor of the school, who is also the President, Kaduna Baptist Conference, Rev Ishaya Jangado, made the confirmation.

Jangado confirmed to newsmen that no fewer than 121 students were in the custody of the kidnappers.

He said 28 students were “recovered” on Monday after the bandits attacked the school.

He explained that the total number of students in the boarding house was 154 and that 28 were recovered, while 121 were in the bandits’ custody. He, however, did not provide any explanation on the remaining five students.

He said, “For now, we know that we have 154 students in the school hostel and yesterday (Monday) after the exchange of fire between the soldiers and the bandits, we came to the school and recovered 28 students; some of them were hit in many places. In the course of being taken away, some of them escaped and they came back to the school.

“So, the total number of students we recovered yesterday (Monday) was 28 and today (Tuesday), by the grace of God, we got a call from the bandits and they assured us that our children are well and doing okay.

“In fact, we had the privilege of speaking with a few of them. They counted themselves in the jungle and they gave us information that they were 121, and when we put the number together with what we have recovered, we discovered that the number is exactly the same as the number of students we have in the hostel,” he said.