A bandit’s coronation gone wrong.

By Adeleye Kunle

The adage, “It takes a thief to catch a thief,” came to life on Saturday in the Sabon Birin Yandoto Emirate of Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, TrackNews reports.

This cliche came to life when Adamu Aliero, a notorious repentant bandit leader, was turbaned Serkin Fulani (Fulani leader) by the Emir of Yandoto, Aliyu Garba Marafa. Reason: he is expected to use his knowledge of banditry and related criminality in conjunction with his new royal position to stem the tide of banditry in the emirate.

In a show of solidarity, more than 100 bandits attended the brief and colorful ceremony. The horde of active bandits stormed the scene in a convoy of motorcycles, but without arms or ammunition.

Aliero, known for his daring banditry exploits in both Zamfara and Katsina states, earned the emir’s trust by agreeing at a meeting to stop attacking communities and villages in the emirates and to allow residents access to their farms.

The emir was moved to bestow the chieftaincy title on him in order to ensure that the repentant bandit leader will allow peace to return to the beleaguered emirate in his new capacity. Good calculations, it would appear, especially in light of the unending banditry that has reduced the state to a state of nature where life has become nasty, short, and brutish.

But, unbeknownst to the emir, he made a mistake. He appeared to have placed a higher value on the temporary reprieve his emirate will receive from the rapprochement without considering all of the implications of that action. And that proved to be his undoing.

The Zamfara State government was quick to distance itself from the incident. It removed the emir from the throne and appointed the district head to preside over the emirate while the incident was investigated.

Whatever conclusions the panel reaches on the matter will determine the state government’s next course of action. That is the situation in which the emir finds himself. Poor guy! His case has been complicated further by reactions from the government and police command of neighboring Katsina State.

Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari is saddened by the development and has vowed to have Aliero arrested for his criminal activities in the state if he is seen. Aliero remains on the state police command’s wanted list, despite the N5 million reward placed on his head for anyone with information leading to his arrest.

He is wanted on criminal homicide, terrorism, armed robbery, and kidnapping charges. That’s how bad things are for Serkin Fulani, the crowned repentant bandit.

Nobody knows where he is hiding right now, given the attention generated by his turban and threats to have him arrested for various crimes. He must have reverted to his old ways, disappearing into the forests to avoid capture by security forces.

He would continue to launch attacks on communities from his hiding places with greater ferocity and dexterity than he had previously. Since the security agencies have been unable to apprehend him despite the bounty placed on his head, the frustrations that drove the emir to seek peace with the bandit warlord should begin to make sense.

Yes, it is an embarrassment that a notorious bandit should be given such a traditional title. The exercise is bound to raise concerns about whether he is being rewarded for his criminal behavior. Suspicion of complicity in the crime may also arise on the emir’s side.

However, as offensive as the coronation is to human sensibilities, the emir may have acted to protect his community from annihilation. He should not bear sole responsibility for his indiscretion or poor judgment. Unless it is proven that he is involved in banditry in his emirate, he appears to be a victim of circumstances beyond his control.

Ironically, the extenuating circumstances that led to this pass are at the root of the federal government’s inability to carry out its statutory duty of maintaining law and order. However, given the federal government’s policy of reintegration and reabsorption of repentant terrorists into its fold, the noise surrounding the coronation contains some hypocrisy.

That policy may have influenced the emir. After all, Masari had previously signed peace treaties with bandits, posing with their leaders in photos clutching their sophisticated riffles. It was an obvious celebration of banditry that almost immediately failed.

The need to strike a noxious deal with a notorious bandit would not have arisen if security agencies had lived up to their responsibility of protecting the emirate’s lives and property. The government’s inability to control banditry and bring perpetrators to justice had given their leaders a larger-than-life image, leaving the villagers at their mercy.

Why complain about self-help if the government cannot be of reasonable assistance in reducing violent criminality that is suffocating Zamfara and other states? Or, is the first law of nature no longer self-preservation? Aliero is not the first criminal to gain notoriety through devious deeds. Those who commit atrocities such as killing people during elections in order to gain public attention are just as guilty as the turbaned bandit.

It is not enough to suspend or dethrone the emir unless he is found to be conspiring with bandits. He could have acted rashly. However, the government should accept responsibility for this apparent naiveté by failing to protect them from banditry.

If the government does nothing to protect the people from Aliero’s possible vengeance, the security situation in the emirate may worsen. The events in Zamfara are a sobering reminder of the country’s rapid descent into a failed state. This prospect can only be avoided if our citizens are adequately protected from rising impunity and criminal annihilation by non-state actors.