DSS Invites Journalist Reuben Buhari Over Report On Alleged Bandits' Sexual Abuse, Forced Labour In Kaduna Communities

The Department of State Services (DSS) has reportedly invited veteran journalist Reuben Buhari for questioning after he published a disturbing account detailing how bandits allegedly exercise total control over several communities in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where residents are said to be subjected to years of terror, sexual abuse, forced labour and severe restrictions on their daily lives.

It was gathered that Buhari was invited by the DSS in Kaduna on Wednesday over his publication exposing the alleged atrocities committed by bandits against residents of communities that have reportedly entered into survival agreements with the armed groups following repeated attacks.

In a post on Facebook, Buhari confirmed the invitation, saying, “Yes, I can confirm that I have gotten an invitation from the DSS in Kaduna for a 'chat', according to the officer who called me.”

In the Facebook post that reportedly led to his invitation, Buhari warned readers about the disturbing nature of the account before narrating the testimony of a resident who had managed to leave one of the affected communities.

"Be warned: Some issues in this post may be disturbing," Buhari wrote.

Referring to the photo of a man that accompanied the text, he continued: "This is the back of someone who lives in a community that has entered into an agreement with Fulani kidnappers following repeated attacks. The community is now in its third year living alongside bandits.

"I chose to show only his back to protect his identity. It took him a week to leave his community, which I will not name, but it's in Kajuru LGA, Kaduna State."

According to Buhari, the resident described an existence in which armed kidnappers allegedly dictate every aspect of life within the community.

"The man you see is married with five children, but his wife doesn't belong to him since the agreement was entered into. The kidnappers sleep with her whenever they feel the urge, sometimes while the children watch. If he protests, he will be shot,” he said.

"The same thing happened to all the women in the village. If a kidnapper leaves a blanket in front of your house or drops a stick, it's a sign that he will sleep in your house with your wife or daughter that day, while you sleep outside."

Buhari further noted that residents are effectively trapped inside the communities and face death if they attempt to flee without permission.

"This man, like other families, can't leave the village now, though some have managed to. If you are caught, you will be shot. If you are seen walking with a bag, you will be searched,” he wrote.

"They are allowed to farm, but one quarter of the harvest goes to the bandits. They aren't allowed to own a phone, though a few have found a way around it. If you are caught, you will be shot."

According to the report, the armed groups also impose strict controls over residents' personal belongings and movement.

"You can't wear any new clothes. A bandit will simply tell you he needs them. They aren't allowed to own torchlights. Only bandits can own torchlights in the village” he said.

"You can only own an old motorcycle. They take any new one they see. It's the bandits who buy petrol and sell it to those with motorcycles in the village

"They aren't allowed to own a machete; only hoes and diggers are permitted for farming," he said.

The journalist also explained that the bandits tightly regulate residents' movements to neighbouring communities and markets.

"If they want to buy anything from a village that hasn't entered into an agreement, it's their wives who are allowed to go. If the wives don't return, the husbands and children will be shot,” he said.

"If the men want to go to an outside market to buy anything or sell grain, their wives and children stay behind."

According to Buhari's account, young men in the affected communities are allegedly compelled to participate in criminal activities under threat of death.

"Youths in the community are forced to accompany the bandits to steal or kidnap. They are forced to ride the motorcycle while the bandits sit behind with guns. If you refuse to go, you are shot,” Buhari stated.

He said that religious, educational and healthcare activities have largely collapsed.

"They can't hold any church service on Sunday unless the bandits are not around,” he said. "Schools in those communities do not function because teachers have abandoned them. Likewise, PHCs do not function.

"Everything is controlled by the kidnappers. Sometimes they pick people from the community and shoot them to show what will happen to anyone who disobeys them," Buhari said.

He described the account as only a fraction of what the witness narrated, claiming the problem extends beyond a single community.

"There are more than 20 communities in Kajuru LGA, about 30 in Kachia LGA, and dozens in Chikun LGA that have entered into such agreements with these kidnappers and are living under harsh conditions. Though the conditions vary, most have no freedom at all,” he said.

Following reports of Buhari's detention, Nigerian human rights lawyer and activist Professor Chidi Anselm Odinkalu condemned the action by the DSS, questioning why the journalist was reportedly invited while no similar action had been taken against those accused of committing the alleged atrocities.

Reacting on social media, Odinkalu wrote: "It has now come to my knowledge that as a result of this article below, DSS in Kaduna has today 'invited' Reuben Buhari.

"No such invitation has yet been transmitted or extended to any of the terrorists perpetrating the atrocities that Reuben wrote about.

"For the record, Reuben Buhari is a senior journalist. He was the official spokesperson to the late Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State. We will not allow Reuben to walk alone."