NEW DIMENSION TO ZAMFARA CONFLICT, ABDUCTION AND HUMAN KIDNAPPING: IMPLICATION ON STATE SECURITY.

Anas Sani Anka. Department of History & International Studies Federal University Gusau. ...................................................................................................................... Manuscript Info Abstract ......................... ........................................................................ Manuscript History Received: 11 August 2018 Final Accepted: 13 September 2018 Published: October 2018 Copy Right, IJAR, 2018,. All rights reserved.

Since after the 2011 general elections in Nigeria, Zamfara has been battling with multiple number of crises ranging from political violence, election crises, communal clashes, cattle rustling, armed banditry and now abduction and human kidnapping. This critical situation hitting the state for the past seven years has being a source of concern to the security situation of the state especially with the multi-dynamic nature of the way the conflict is taking advance stage. Citizens of the state since when the conflict of cattle rustling started has made the security and safety of the state citizen highly vulnerable leading to the forceful migration of hundreds of thousands of people who exited the state for the fear of the unknown.
The source of this conflict in Zamfara and identity of these hoodlums has never being ascertained yet, hence the government and other security agencies give conflicting account of the actual cause of the conflict. Before the current situation, many stakeholders argued that, the cause of the conflict is cattle rustling which led to reprisal attacks on Fulani herders by the organized vigilante Tukur (2018). Others said the unending reprisal attacks against some Fulani herders instigate the conflict hence the Fulani herdsmen having becoming helpless in the hand of the organized vigilante resorted to inviting external support from their peers in the neighboring states of Chad and Cameroun Idris (2018). Others argued that, when the conflict become highly tensed some hidden elites take advantage of the security situation to create additional crack in to the conflict by turning the situation in an act of militia and now human abduction and kidnapping .
From 2011 to date not fewer than three thousand people were allegedly killed even as thousands of number of others were injured, married women have been abducted, raped and impregnated. This created additional states of uncertainty as hundreds of residents and households resorted to embarking on forceful migration due to the fear of the unknown. A field estimate have it that, over seventy six communities across fourteen local government areas of Zamfara state have been deserted by its residents due to the consequences of armed banditry attack or notice of possible attack Bello (2018).
While this tragedy has continue to cause the people and government of Zamfara state sleepless night, the situation has taken an advance level when dozens of cases of abduction and human kidnapping are recorded in almost virtually all local governments across Zamfara state. Field estimate has shown that, over one hundred people have been either kidnapped or abducted in demand for millions of naira as ransom. Bello (2018) argued, in Dansadau axis of the state alone, record from the rural persons has shown that, over fifty two people have been abducted and 914 kidnapped by these suspected bandits within a couple fifty days. He further argued that, at one time, forty two people were collectively kidnapped before the government initiated a deal to get them released and re-united with their families.
This act of human abduction and kidnapping has become a new phenomenon that constitutes a severe dangerous security threat to the people of the state. Gazali (2018) argued, if there is any security challenge that gives Zamfara people sleepless night is the current cases of human kidnapping and abduction. This act is being perpetrated in broad day light and in the night while families of the abducted citizens are asked to pay millions of naira as ransom for the release of their love ones. The government is not doing the much that is desired and the security agencies especially the police seem to be incapable of tackling the situation for the safety of the state citizens. The implication of this new security threat is that, citizens of the state sleeps in a state of fear and the state is further portrayed as one of the dangerous states in Nigeria where security and safety of the people could not be guaranteed.
The objective of this research is to among other things investigate among other things, the causes Zamfara conflict and reasons for the transitions of the conflict which started from small to complex one. The methodology is purely a field work based on the primary data to be collected from the field and for the purpose of clarity, purposive interview method will be used to enable the researcher access information from the survivors, residents and even the direct victims of the tragedy.

Origin of Zamfara Conflict: A Historical Over-view
As highlighted earlier in the introduction, the origin of Zamfara conflict could be traced to the brutal murder of a suspected Fulani herder at Chile market by some members of organized vigilante group as reprisal attack in 2011. Though it was one action against an accused, the implication of what happened at Chile sent a wrong signal to other organized vigilante groups along Dansadau forest and several other places who resorted to applying similar strategy of killing any suspected Fulani herder who is on their track list. Jabir (2018) argued, when the Fulani men were openly murdered in an open market at Chile the government and indeed the security agencies failed to take appropriate steps of managing the new development until when it become an order of the day. Every day you had that, some suspected Fulani herder is arrested in a weekly market and killed gruesomely by the members of the organized vigilante group. This situation become tensed with the murder of about twenty five Fulani herders at Dangulbi, Dankurmi, Nasarawar Godal and Kasuwar Daji markets from 2011 to 2015.
Since the incident at Chile the security situation along Dansadau forest and other critical areas of Zamfara state changes dramatically with the series of attacks launched in more than one hundred communities in Zamfara state. Lawal (2018) argued, since when the conflict started in 2011, over one hundred communities and settlements have been either invaded or attacked by the suspected bandits and hundreds of lives and properties have been lost to this tragedy.  The consequences of the conflict have not only resulted to loss of lives and properties, but it affected almost virtually all aspect of the socio-economic and political development of the state. It has influenced forceful migration of hundreds of Fulani herders with their cattle and other livestock out of Zamfara due to the fear of the unknown. Tukur (2014) argued, Zamfara has loss over one hundred Fulani settlements to this conflict even as over one fourty two thousand herds of cattle have been moved out of the state. The implication of the exit of the Fulani and their cattle out of Zamfara led to scarcity of cattle and increase in the price meat in the market. Muhammad (2018) argued, the price at which we normally buy cattle and slaughter for sales in the market has almost doubled instead of going to Talatar-Mafara, Shinkafi or Gummi markets to secure cattle at a cheaper and affordable prices, one has to travel as per as Adamawa and Niger states to procure them. Imagine what it will take someone to procure and transport cattle from this per distance to Zamfara and sales meat to the people.
The crises also lead to the increasing hunger and shortage of food as majority of those affected are rural people whose pre-occupation is mainly farming. Since 2014, the victim communities have been voicing out their fear that, the bandits have been threatening their effort to embark on their annual farming activities as many were shot dead by the bandits on their farms. Wadatau (2018) argued, eighty percent of farmers at Dagulbi, Dankurmi and their 916 neighboring villages could not farm their lands for the past five consecutive years because they have been sent warning notice and some of those who defy the warning were killed by these bandits. The development caused not only shortage of food but increasing hunger among people as hardly people find food of nutritional value to eat. Our people are dying of hunger as both the government and wealthy individuals in the cities have left us at our own faith, Umar (2018).
Health care management has almost become paralyzed hence the medical health facilities have been abandoned by the professional health personals because of their safety. Lawal (2018) argued, as I speak to you, if you exclude General Hospital Dansadau and Dangulbi, our people have to travel to Gusau or nearby local government to access medical help as no health worker is willing to risk his life and stay with us in the villages. Our pregnant women die of absence of basic primary health care support caused by the unending tragedy that befalls us.
Not only health care system, education had also suffered hence majority of the schools that were either constructed or renovated by the government have been abandoned by the teachers. Even where the teachers opted to stay some of the pupils are not able to pay the schools because their breadwinners were either killed or incapacitated by the deadliest attacks of these bandits, Mammam (2015) argued, when attack in Yargaladima was perfected we had to shut down our only primary school in the village hence those that are providing the primary financial support to be paying salaries to teachers were all killed in the attack. We used to contribute three hundred naira per child to raise fourty five thousand naira as salary to the three NCE teachers we employed to teach our children and among us there are those with three-five children and majority of them are killed and even before the attack, government constructed two blocks of six class rooms and for the past three years we had been agitating for deployment of teachers but that has failed. And now that over one hundred households are killed to the most tragic attack in our community we had to shut down the school completely.
Added to this negative development recorded for the past seven years is the emergence of human kidnapping and abduction that befall almost every parts of the state. Since the beginning of the year 2018, the attention of every citizen of Zamfara has been shifted to the menace of human abduction and kidnapping. Munnir (2018) argued, if there is any calamity that this tragedy of banditry has caused Zamfara people is the proliferation of armed banditry and human kidnapping as over two hundred people are either abducted or kidnapped for ransom. Here in Kaura Namoda it has become a daily thing hardly a day comes since February 2018 without one or two person being kidnapped and millions of naira is being demanded as ransom.

Human Abduction and Kidnapping in Zamfara State: the Citizen's Experience
Since the late 2017 and early 2018, the prevalence of human kidnapping and human abduction continue to constitute threat to the chances of ending the Zamfara conflict. While the people of Zamfara are yet to recover from the shocks and pains of the years of cattle rustling and banditry an advance stage of this conflict emerged. In the views of Umar (2018), there is no part of Zamfara state where people are not kidnapped and to the worst, Dansadau axis of the state has become the most dangerous hot zone where people are subjected to kidnapping and abduction. In three months, I know of more than thirty three people that were either kidnapped or abducted along Magami, Yargaladima, Kurar Mota and Dankurmi. In another testimony, Garba (2018), argued from Nasarawar Godal, Birnin Magaji, Nasarawa Mailayi to Kaura-Namoda you can count more than fifty people that were kidnapped by the bandits and up till to date some are being hold to ransom.
The causes of this kidnapping and abduction are not yet established by the state authorities and even the security agencies. While many connect the incidents of kidnapping in Zamfara to the transformation in the banditry, many are of the opinion that, the state conflict transformed to human kidnapping hence majority of the Fulani herders has deserted the state with their herds of cattle to some safety places. Labaran (2018), if the bandits who turns the act of cattle rustling to a legitimate source of funds could not see the cattle to rustle they will resort to human kidnapping and demand for ransom.
Others are of the opinion that, the identity of the abductors and kidnappers is not yet known hence other interested parties may take advantage of the security situation to embark in to this un-holy act of human kidnapping and abduction to worsen the security situation in the state. Sha'aban (2018) argued, nobody is sure if these abduction and kidnapping is an extension of the act of banditry or the perpetrators are actually among the bandits group, hence politicians are deeply involved in to the current tragedy. People may be suspecting that, the bandits are connected to this kidnapping but in actual sense it may be a different thing entirely.

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The extent of this human kidnapping is not yet established hence they the kidnappers spares no one and embarked on their activities on the broad day light. Bamanga (2018) argued, they come to our town on the broad day light with about sixteen motorcycles and instructed five adult young men to follow them to the forest and after some hours they connect the abductees to their families and requested for one million naira each. In another testimony, Balarabe (2018) argued, they abducted the wives of my neighbour and her two children and demanded for ransom of five million naira. The families have to sacrifice their only truck and raised money to settle the abductors and get the abductees released.
Not only kidnapping and demand for ransom sometimes when they abducted women especially, before releasing them after ransom is paid, there are instances where they resorted to raping them for some number of days. Balarabe (2018) argued, last six weeks they abducted a fresh new bride in our neighboring village and raped her for days before she was released and as I speak to you she is the number eleven woman I know around this our village that has been raped by these abductors. Last two weeks two of the victims have been confirmed pregnant to these abductors.
At an advance level of this action, not more than three months they invaded Gora community and abducted about eleven people including the children of the serving House of Representative member Yahaya Chado Gora. As argued by Dan-maliki (2018) they came to the community with about twenty Kasea motorcycles and went straight to the foot ball viewing center in the community and abducted eleven members in an operation that lasted for more than two hours and even whisked away the children of our serving House of Representative member Malam Yahaya Chado Gora. It took the community several numbers of weeks before money are raised and get them freed. Accurate estimation on the number of the victims of this tragedy is not yet clearly established by the authorities concern hence the scenario is still happening in almost every parts of the state. But findings by this researcher from the field revealed as follows: In this entire scenario captured above, not all cases are recorded are recorded as the incidents have become a daily occurrence. Data on the actual number of people kidnapped or abducted since 2017 is not actually up to date because several cases and incidences are kept un-reported as relations works harder to get their abductees released. As argued by Aminu (2018), when relations are kidnapped we don't border reporting either to police or government agents because they have nothing to do for us. In fact, involving government and security agencies is the most dangerous to the safety of the abductees. This cases we are narrating to you are just few out of many hence majority of the cases are not reported and even made public.
Significantly however, huge amount of money is involved, in the payment of the ransom to these abductors hence it has always become a condition by the abductors. Aminu (2018) argued, in the past three and half months when these cases become rampant along Kaura-Namoda Dansadau axis, estimate has shown that, over thirty million naira has been surrendered to these abductors hence I knew of some families along Nasarawa Godal that paid up to three million to get three of their abducted relations released. In another testimony, Jamilu (2018) argued, when they invaded some houses in Sabon-Garin Kaura and whisked away some business relations of one of the popular politicians in the area they demanded for the payment of thirty million naira. Though we are not in the clear picture of what has been actually given to them some unconfirmed stories had it that, they were given about ten million naira before he get the abductees released.
Government on its own parts has not done adequately enough to manage this emerging security situation hence the situation has instead of reducing further escalate to such a situation that citizens feels everybody has been left at his own destination. Labaran (2018) argued, we have not seen much effort from the government hence victims and their relations are left with no option than to raise money and meet the demands of the abductors.
Security agencies are also not responsive hence their role in saving the abductees si strongly limited. Labaran (2018) argued, they the abductors make it a condition to the relations of abductees not to involve the security agencies if they want their daughters, sons, of parent alive. And communities are strongly advice to devise options of not involving the security agencies hence they want their relations released alive.

Implications on State Security
The long term impacts of this tragedy on the people and communities of Zamfara has been badly felt especially with the number of people either killed, murdered or permanently incapacitated as a result of severe injuries sustained. Hundreds of houses were also burnt while food worth millions of naira was destroyed. But in specific term, the new dimension of human kidnapping has caused a bad name for Zamfara as people outside the state are given the impression that Zamfara is no longer safe and secured. Garba (2018) argued, before the year 2017 we have some business partners who visited our communities to buy grains every weeks and they used to spend some days around Dansadau and Dankurmi in search of affordable grains. Since last year we have been agitating inviting them to come for usual business but they insisted that, with what is happening especially that, one of their business partners who risk coming to the state last year was abducted, they are not at peace to come to Zamfara any more until peace is restored.Another implication is that the state has been exposed to other gang of bandits who may likely connive to form a stronger network that will make the situation more worsen. Clear evidences have shown that earlier than 2018, the phenomenon of abduction and human kidnapping in Zamfara has not been up to this extent but because the situation at inception has not been managed adequately by the relevant authorities, other gang of bandits that have not been parts of the banditry have now joined the network to constitute threat to the sustainable peace of the state. Mahe (2018) argued, we have seen other acts of banditry and its dimension but I am telling you these abductors are not Fulani decedents my neighbor who had been kidnapped and released last week clearly told me that, there is no Fulani man among them, they speaks hausa language fluently and even from their ascent they didn't sound like Fulani. This is an indication that, other interested parties have hijacked the system and now takes advantage of the conflict to make Zamfara state highly vulnerable.
The situation at hand may also lead to hunger and shortage of food as majority of the local farmers residing in the rural areas abandoned their farm lands for the fear of abduction. The development has also led to the increasing public perception that the state security architecture is weak hence the prevalence of this abduction and kidnapping has instead of decreasing continued to take advance stage of human misperception. Bashir (2019), argued, we have recorded over fifteen cases of abduction and kidnapping in this community and all these scenario, we normally inform our security agents in confidence immediately after it happened, but surprisingly our security agencies have never avert or arrest any accused person. Many of us in the village concluded that, the state security architecture is weak hence it has failed in managing the conflict since when it was at its infant stage. By implication however, when citizens loss hope in the power of the state security architecture they resorted to taking the most decisive measures of "self-defense" and that may lead to having state of anarchy. Emir of Zamfaran Anka once declared, by the time people felt the state security apparatus are not capable of protecting their lives and properties they resorted to the last step of offering themselves "Selef-defenses and may lead to anarchy.
Another implication of the present situation at hand is that, it exposes other criminals to chances of turning to human kidnappers hence they have seen how the venture has been turn to a money making business.  argued those who are in to minor criminality like theft and cellular snatching may decided to form a network and turns to human kidnapping hence they have seen how others are deliberately protected by the state apparatus. I knew of a criminal who started as political thug but now being suspected of involving himself in kidnapping.
It also impacted badly in the economic development of the state because, economic activities are only made visible under an atmosphere which is secured. In the views of Garba (2018), we have already loss many customers who usually attens our weekly markets at Dauran, Kasuwar-Daji and Shinkafi and because of these cases of abduction they are no longer coming to Zamfara. One of my business associates from Gumel had been coming to Shinkafi and Kasuwar-Daji Market for the past fifteen years and he procured cattle, goat and sheep for transportation to Lagos and Ibadan but as I speak to you for the past three months he has never come to Zamfara again and he has turn his attention now to Adamawa and Katsina.

Conclusion:-
Based on the discussion so far, it is evidently clear that, the conflict in Zamfara has passed through various stages of negative transformation which institute unending fear among the residents of the state that, the situation if continue to be handled lightly may lead to complete state of anarchywhich may eventually leads to total breakdown of law and order. The transformation from cattle rustling, to banditry and now human kidnapping is a testimony of the facts that, the end to the conflict may not be seen closely because the measures put in place to ending the phenomenon is probe to be in effective. The state of helplessness that citizens are undergoing if allow to continue may lead to increasing state of uncertainty as citizens will take the most decisive measures of defending themselves.