Ado Namarai, a Kaduna-based notorious bandit, has said he joined terrorists in the state to have a better life.

The 55-year-old admitted to being among the terrorists killing, kidnapping for ransom and causing mayhem in southern Kaduna.

In a viral video seen by FIJ, Namarai, an indigene of Kaura Bugaje Village in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina, told the police how his group has swindled millions from victims as ransoms.

Namarai made this confession in the Hausa Language after he was arrested and paraded by officers of the Katsina Police Command. He told Gambo Isah, the police spokesperson in the state, that poverty led him to join the terrorist group.

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FROM CARPENTRY TO BANDITRY 

Five years ago, Namarai said, he was a carpenter producing local bed furniture made from harvested maize sticks. He said some of his customers introduced him to banditry when things were difficult for him.

“Before I joined the kidnapping business, I was into making of local beds, improvised beds I make using sticks from harvested maize,” he said. “Most times when the bandits come to buy my products, they offer me more than the cost price. One day, they told me that as an old man I deserved a better life and that was how they introduced me to crime.”

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KILLING, CATTLE RUSTLING, KIDNAPPING

Namarai also said his terror group was into cattle rustling and armed robbery. He confessed to killing some of their victims during kidnapping operations.

“We attacked some commuters along Mando-Buruku road and I opened fire. I killed four people and shot the fifth one in the leg. We abducted 10 people in total from the two vehicles and each of them paid N10 million in ransoms.

“Sometimes, we go into the villages armed to collect goods without paying. Whenever any goods owner tries to protest, we will shoot the person.”

Kaduna is one of the northwest states battling banditry, farmer-herder crisis and ethnic cleansing. On Thursday, Governor Nasir el-Rufai asked telecommunications firms to suspend their services in some parts of the state, to check the activities of bandits.