Kuriga Kids: Where is Lagbaha in Kaduna?
Nigerian Afrobeats musician Bisade Ologunde is better known by his stage name Lagbaja. His distinctive face mask identifies him as a commoner in this country, a faceless individual. Lagbaja is a Yoruba word meaning someone whose name and identity are deliberately hidden or invisible. He is someone, anyone, and everyone.
Not surprisingly, in March 2021, the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, appointed Major General Taolied Abiodun Lagbaha as the officer commanding the 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army in Enugu State. However, it was quite interesting. .
At first I wondered if anyone would have Ragbaja as more than just a common name. I later learned an indisputable fact. The soldier's surname is said to have been derived from his father's car dealership, Lagbaha Motors, in Osun State.
As the GOC of Enugu, the eccentric Lagbaha displayed incredible leadership qualities of being both fiery and calm in instilling a high level of discipline in the troops. He sought to refine officers and soldiers into the best versions of their profession. Deploying his carrot-and-stick approach evenly, rewards for courage and good deeds were always juxtaposed with punishments for cowardice and wrongdoing.
For example, in June 2022, at the opening of a general court martial to try some soldiers for alleged violations of discipline, Lagbaha said the process erred in the way it served as a deterrent to others. He said the idea was to instill discipline by punishing officers. Mr. Lagbaja went on to commend the selected soldiers for their performance while awarding bikes and certificates for their hard work and called on others to emulate such exemplary behavior. .
After the death of General Attahiru in a plane crash, the new COAS, Lieutenant General Faruq Yahaya, redeployed Lagbaja to Kaduna State as GOC of 1st Division due to the deplorable activities of bandits and terrorists which became a serious source. There were concerns that the virus had been leaked to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, and posed a threat to it. It was in Kaduna that General Lagbaja rose to prominence by leading a war against violent criminals.
Rather than simply erecting obstacles, he and his troops walked deep into the forest and waged war against the enemy in meetings. In his first month in office, General Lagbaha raided kidnapper dens while leading combat patrols in Manini Village, Buruku, Udawa, Manini, Birnin Gwari, Doka, Maganda, Kuyero and Dogon Dawa communities. and rescued the victim. He eliminated many bandits, and some were captured alive.
The following month, in September 2022, the military raided the camp of the notorious bandits of Boderi Isiya and Musti, who were responsible for the security breach at the Nigeria National Defense University, the kidnapping of students at the Federal University of Forestry Mechanization and the attack on Emir Bungudu. , among other atrocities. They eliminated kingpins and fighters such as Musti, Yellow Mai-Madrid, and Dan Katsinawa. The areas along the toll plaza, Chikun and Sabon Gida were littered with battered corpses.
Similarly, in October 2022, during Operation Forest Sanity across Maidalo, Kagi Hill, Kusharuki and Angwan Madaki in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area, the military continued its onslaught against bandits and carried out large quantities of weapons. Recovered the stash. The permits extended to the Sabon Birnin Zartake, Unguwan Lima Liyawa and Tugan Madaki general areas and captured a number of bandits fleeing from Key Hill.
From November 2022 to June 2023, Lagbaha-led operations cleared a number of terrorists, freed hostages and recovered sophisticated weapons, ammunition and motorcycles. The then governor, Nasir el-Rufai, was very pleased with this success and issued regular statements through his secretary for internal security, Samuel Alwan. Former COAS, Gen. Yahaya, through his Army Spokesman, Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, similarly commended Lagbaha and his brave troops for their unflinching enthusiasm.
In July 2023, after the inauguration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, General Lagbaha was at the forefront of the successes the military was recording against bandits, terrorists and cattle drivers in Kaduna and surrounding states. Reassigned to management position. Commander of Abuja.
Since then, things in Kaduna haven't changed, and I've often asked about Lagbaha. We are currently, very unfortunately, inundated with reports of attacks on prayer centers and homes, and abductions of vulnerable people, especially women and school children. The situation in Kaduna is very alarming, with almost every month shocking news reports of tragic incidents and daily assaults on those who are unfortunate victims of banditry and terrorism.
PRNigeria Monthly Security Reviews provides a glimpse into many of these atrocities. In January 2024, terrorists attacked Unguwan Sako, Kungklai and Dokan Kazi in Dawaki Ward, Kauru Local Government Area, killing many locals and abducting dozens of others.
In February, terrorists invaded Gindin Dutse Makhiari village in Kajuru's Kufana district and destroyed houses. Unable to escape sporadic bandit gunfire, at least 12 people were burned to death in their rooms. They killed the principal of Kuriga Secondary School in Chikun for resisting an attempt to kidnap a woman, and invaded Gwada and Kassam in Igabi, as well as Kaur areas, carrying out killings. A number of people were also kidnapped, including a former director of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
More daring attacks and large-scale kidnappings occurred in March. After a group of daredevil robbers kidnapped more than 280 schoolchildren in Kuriga, another group of gunmen opened fire on worshipers during Friday prayers at a mosque in Anwar Makela, Kwasakwa district, days before the start of Ramadan.
Terrorists also attacked Kajuru Station village and the nearby Dogon Noma settlement, reportedly abducting more than 100 people, including women and children, as usual. A similar situation occurred when miscreants stormed Thang Tau district, looted shops, and then fled, herding dozens of men and women like cattle. At least 61 locals were reportedly taken in another coordinated attack in the Buda area, also in Kajuru.
Kidnapping for ransom has become an almost daily occurrence and a lucrative business for criminal organizations, as if security agencies are helpless and powerless to stop it. While I am glad that the Kuliga children have been secured their freedom after being detained for more than two weeks, I still ask: Could another Lagbaha in Kaduna re-strategise and lead troops from the front lines to denigrate the criminals? How can we continue our operations and restore the confidence of our people?
Yushav Shuaib, author of “Encounters with the Spymaster” and “Crisis Communication Strategies,” writes from Abuja:
Source: guardian.ng