‘How my brother wedding introduction turn to 40 days of hell’

“Just five kilometres before we enter Kankara town na im we begin hear gunshots so we just stop our car next tin we just see pipo wit guns for our front.”

Dat na how Sani Ismail (no be im real name) wey just taste freedom begin tori of how e spend 40 days for di hand of bandits wey dey kontinue to hold northwest Nigeria to ransom for many years now.

Dia trip to Kankara town inside Katsina state na to go do wedding introduction for im younger broda wey decide to pick wife from dia.

Sani, im broda and three oda relatives set out dat fateful Saturday morning from neighbouring Kano state not knowing wetin dey ahead.

“For years now I dey hear bad bad tori of kidnapping and banditry and I neva for once think say e go happun to me until dat particular day.

“Like evri trip we dey inside car dey gist before di gunshots make us stop di car and before we know di bandits about five of dem order us out of di car.

“Dem use some tin tie our eyes so dat we no go see wia dem dey carry us go.”

Sani on wetin im eye see say “We spend plenty hours dey waka and many hours on top motorcycles before we reach wia dem keep us.”

Di hill, starvation and drops of water

According to Sani na afta dem reach dia wahala just begin as di bandits carry dem go keep on top one hill.

“We get to eat food just once in three days and wetin dem go bring come sef afta di wait na very small portion.”

“Even water na di same tin few drops a day. I just dey think of di young family I leave for house and how dem go take survive without me.”

Sani say dem use strong wires tie dia hands and feet and even if pesin wan ease himself na gunman go escort am go.

“All of just dey pray for di whole thing to end and God answer our prayers afta 40 days but di experience na one wey I go live wit me for di rest of my life.

Finally di man wey visit Katsina for di first time say nothing go stop di wedding from happuning despite wetin happun.

“We no go say because of dis make my broda no marry from dia again. Wetin happun don happun and di wedding go still happun.”

E tok say e dey support wetin former Zamfara state govnor tok about dialogue wit bandits as di only solution to dis problem wey don dey for many years now.

Tinubu go unveil initiative to end di problem

Vice President Kashim Shettima tok say President Bola Tinubu go soon unveil plan to end insecurity for Northwest Nigeria.

“In di next couple of weeks, we go unveil di Pulaaku solution, wey go address di grievances and social issues of our pipo in di North-West and dis go also address di root causes of all di banditry and insurgency in the nation,” Shettima explain.

Recently di former govnor of Zamfara state wey alongside Katsina dey suffer pass for di problem Sani Ahmad Yarima also comot to tok say di solution na to siddon wit di bandits.

“Di solution I feel na to siddon wit dem just like Nigerian goment do wit di Niger Delta militants at di time.

“Dis go bring an end to di problem once and for all. Dis pipo na Nigerians although few foreigners dey among dem,” Yarima tell BBC for interview.

‘Lack of data a major problem’

Public affairs analyst Sani Hamisu tok say e dey painful say goment or any agency no dey keep data of all di kidnappings and banditry wey don happun.

“Di truth be say information from pipo wey don experience kidnapping fit help to end di wahala but unfortunately we no get any agency wey dey do dat work,” e tok.

Hamisu add say, “In fact nobody fit tell you at di moment dis na di number of Nigerians wey dey kidnappers hands at di moment because we no get dat record.”