The Emir of Birnin Gwari, Alhaji Zubairu Jibril Mai Gwari II, has spoken on the attack on his convoy on its way to Kaduna by armed bandits.
The monarch said they were called to a meeting by Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai in Kaduna.
“At the last minute I decided to ask for relief from the Nigerian Air Force. They were the ones who brought me to Kaduna that evening. That’s how God made it.
“I was not in the car but it is clear that the bandits targeted my car, and Allah protected my driver and my orderly. Only my car got some bruises.
“But clearly the aim was to kill us. If you see the bullet holes on my car, on the windscreen and the side where I usually sit, the aim was clearly to kill us, by the Almighty decided otherwise.”
He also told the BBC that the bandits stated in 1994 with cattle rustling because graduating to armed robbery and later kidnapping for ransom.
“At a point, anytime our people were travelling, they will keep some money in their pockets. If you fail to give them money, they will beat you to escape the armed robbery. They later considered that not enough and they had finished rustling the cattle. So they took the kidnapping,” the emir said.
He added that no meaningful project was sited in the area in the last 20 years “because anytime such projects came up, they will say there is no peace in the area.
“Our people are law-abiding and peace-loving. But these bandits have changed our story. Some are saying it is because of the gold deposits that we have, if that is the case why didn’t they explore the gold and leave the people alone?
