Guard Alleges Helicopter Coordinated With Bandits During ∆mbush That K!lled Seven CPG Members

 

Guard Alleges Helicopter Coordinated With Bandits During Ambush That Killed Seven CPG Members

Ibrahim made the startling allegation in a video posted online by JBC Hausa while lamenting the poor equipment and welfare of local security personnel fighting banditry in Zamfara State.

Amember of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guard (CPG), Abdullahi Ibrahim, has alleged that a helicopter he initially believed was Nigerian Air Force aircraft flew over his unit during a deadly bandit ambush but instead of rescuing them, allegedly coordinated with the attackers and led them into the forest.

Ibrahim made the startling allegation in a video posted online by JBC Hausa while lamenting the poor equipment and welfare of local security personnel fighting banditry in Zamfara State.

He said his unit, comprising eight CPG members, was ambushed by bandits during an operation, resulting in the death of seven personnel while he was the only survivor.

According to Ibrahim, the arrival of the low-flying helicopter during the attack initially gave him hope that military reinforcement had arrived.

“When I saw the helicopter flying very low, I thought the Nigerian Air Force had come to rescue us,” Ibrahim said.

He, however, claimed that the helicopter did not provide the expected support but instead appeared to coordinate with the bandits and led them further into the forest.

 

 

“But surprisingly, the helicopter coordinated with the bandits and led them into the forest,” he alleged.

Ibrahim did not provide details that could independently establish the identity of the helicopter or verify the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident.

The CPG member subsequently called on the Zamfara State Government to provide members of the outfit with adequate weapons, insisting that they are currently confronting heavily armed bandits with locally fabricated guns and inadequate ammunition.

He claimed that CPG personnel sometimes go for months without receiving ammunition, despite being deployed to areas where they face heavily armed criminal gangs.

Ibrahim said the disparity in firepower had left local security personnel vulnerable, recalling that seven members of his eight-man unit were killed during the ambush.

“Give us the right firepower, especially AK-47s, and we can take the fight to the bandits in their hideouts,” he said.

He also criticised the N30,000 stipend reportedly paid to CPG members, saying it is insufficient to support personnel and their families.

Ibrahim said some members have three or four wives and as many as 10 children, making the stipend grossly inadequate.

“There is no way N30,000 can sustain a family. Sometimes, the N30,000 does not even take some of us up to three days,” he said.

He appealed to the Zamfara State Government to review the stipend and equip the guards with appropriate weapons, citing the better equipment reportedly provided to similar local security personnel in Borno State.

Ibrahim also criticised the command structure of the CPG, arguing that the outfit should be professionally organised and led by qualified personnel rather than politicians.

“Among us, there are university graduates who can establish and operate a proper command structure. Government should not just appoint a politician to head the outfit,” he said.

He urged the state government to strengthen the CPG through improved weaponry, welfare and professional leadership, saying the measures would enable the guards to more effectively confront bandit groups operating across Zamfara.