Bauchi Governor Appeals to Tinubu as Bandits Exploit Ungoverned Forest Areas
Governor Bala Mohammed has raised alarm over bandit infiltration of ungoverned forest spaces around the Daji Dam axis in Bauchi State, calling on President Bola Tinubu for urgent federal intervention to address the escalating security threat in northern Nigeria.
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Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has issued an urgent appeal to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the worsening security situation in his state, warning that armed bandits are increasingly exploiting ungoverned forest territories to establish operational bases. The governor's alarm comes amid a broader pattern of insecurity affecting northern Nigeria, where criminal groups have capitalized on vast, under-policed rural areas.
Speaking on Friday, Mohammed specifically identified the forest spaces around the Daji Dam axis as areas where bandits have gained a foothold, according to reports from the Peoples Gazette and Business Day. The governor's concerns reflect the challenges faced by state governments in securing extensive rural territories that fall outside effective administrative control, creating safe havens for criminal enterprises that have plagued the region for years.
Federal Intervention Sought
Governor Mohammed's appeal to the federal government underscores the limitations of state-level security responses to what has become a regional crisis. The bandits operating in these ungoverned spaces typically engage in kidnapping, cattle rustling, and armed attacks on rural communities, activities that have displaced thousands and disrupted agricultural production across northern states.
"Bandits have taken advantage of ungoverned forest spaces around the Daji Dam axis," Mohammed stated, according to the Peoples Gazette. The Daji Dam area, located in Bauchi State, represents one of several forested regions across northern Nigeria where state presence remains minimal and criminal groups have established operational bases with relative impunity.
The governor's call for presidential intervention signals recognition that addressing the security challenge requires resources and coordination beyond state capacity. Federal security forces, including the military and paramilitary agencies, have conducted operations in similar ungoverned spaces across Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, and Niger states, though with mixed results. The persistence of banditry despite these efforts has raised questions about strategy, resource allocation, and inter-agency coordination.
Regional Security Context
Bauchi State's security concerns fit within a broader pattern affecting Nigeria's northwest and northcentral regions, where bandit groups have evolved from cattle rustlers into sophisticated criminal networks. These groups have demonstrated increasing boldness, attacking military installations, ambushing security convoys, and in some cases, imposing levies on rural communities under their control.
The exploitation of ungoverned forest spaces represents a strategic adaptation by these groups, who use the terrain's natural cover to evade security forces while maintaining access to rural communities for supplies and recruitment. Forest reserves, game reserves, and other protected areas have become particular security challenges, as their legal status often complicates security operations while providing bandits with de facto sanctuaries.
President Tinubu's administration has faced mounting pressure to address the security situation in northern Nigeria, which affects agricultural production, disrupts education, and generates humanitarian crises through mass displacement. The federal government has deployed additional security personnel to affected states and authorized kinetic operations against bandit camps, though the vastness of the affected territory and the mobility of criminal groups have limited the effectiveness of these measures.
Political Dimensions
Governor Mohammed's appeal comes as he navigates both security and political challenges. Business Day reported that during the same address, the governor affirmed his continued membership in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), addressing speculation about potential political realignment. The clarification suggests that despite security concerns requiring federal cooperation, the governor maintains his opposition party stance.
The intersection of security appeals and political positioning reflects the complex dynamics of Nigerian federalism, where opposition governors must balance criticism of federal security performance with the need to secure federal assistance for their states. Mohammed's approach—simultaneously calling for intervention while reaffirming his PDP membership—illustrates this balancing act.
As the security situation in Bauchi and neighboring states continues to evolve, the effectiveness of federal response to Mohammed's appeal will likely influence both immediate security outcomes and longer-term political calculations. The governor's public identification of specific vulnerable areas may increase pressure on the Tinubu administration to demonstrate tangible security improvements in the lead-up to future electoral cycles.