Kalare thugs, a group of urban gangsters consisting largely of drug addicts, have continued to terrorise Gombe City, leading to the killing of innocent citizens and injuring many others with minimal efforts to tame them, WikkiTimes reports.
The gang, initially deployed as errand boys and political thugs during electioneering, has evolved into criminal gangs that have been threatening peace and security in the state over the years.
WikkiTimes observed that the kalare group consists mostly of school dropouts and unemployed youths who are recruited as political dogs, usually as an unofficial armed wing of political parties and powerful politicians during campaign and election seasons.
Residents decried that over the years, Kalare activities have been largely left untamed, which has led to a transformation to phone snatching and armed robbery in the Jewel state.
Residents’ Experiences
Since 2023, WikkiTimes reported gruesome experiences of innocent residents in Gombe in the hands of the merciless deviants.
While some of the victims survive with life threatening injuries, others lose their lives and their families are left to mourn the painful and unjust demise of their loved ones. The authorities often do nothing after the initial arrests and investigations as the perpetrators are not seen to be aptly punished.
WikkiTimes reports that in February 2023, thugs attacked a Gombe-based tailor in Yelangurza area and snatched away his phone. He was compelled to pay ransom to have his sim cards back. The victim told WikkiTimes he never reported the incident to the Police because the area has always been a criminal hub, and nothing was done about it.
Similarly, another victim of kalare thugs violence attack, Babangida Abdulmumini, had also decried the indifference of the authorities in addressing thuggery in Gombe. According to him, as a tricyclist who shuttles in the City, the Police have done little to eradicate the dreadful activities in areas like Jeka da fari where he had his phone snatched in 2023. He cautioned that “it is best to avoid the places, especially at night.”
WikkiTimes reported that one Ismaila Yayalle, a resident, had lost his life after thugs waylaid and stabbed him on his way back from a medical trip.
Yayalle, who escaped alongside his brother in a tricycle sustained an injury in his stomach which eventually led to his demise 3 days later.
Zainab Isma’l, the widow of late Yayalle, explained to WikkiTimes the depth of grief and sorrow the vacuum left for the family amid heart-wrenching tears. She describes how her husband had always dreaded the activities of Kalare in Gombe, not knowing that they were going to tragically end his life.
In another tragic incident in August 2023, WikkiTimes reported how a popular islamic cleric, Sheikh Ibrahim Musa, known as Albanin Kuri in Gombe was murdered in cold blood by whom were later identified as Kalare boys.
The cleric, who was a resident of Tabra, an area in the outskirts of Gombe was awakened from sleep by the thugs who robbed him of his phones and ATM cards and subsequently stabbed him to death.
In July 2023, Babangida Muhammad, a tailor based in Gabukka area of Gombe metropolis, sustained head injury after an attack by phone snatchers in his home. The young man eventually gave up the ghost.
In a most recent attack, a 45 year old renowned industrialist, Ahmad Kasiran was attacked and stabbed on Sunday night on June 8th in Hammadu Kafi area. He was later pronounced dead at Gombe General Hospital that night.
The incident, which rendered the Gombe community in waves of shock, had stakeholders condoling with the family of the deceased including the state Governor, who pledged to bring the assailants to book.
APC, PDP Trade Blames
Meanwhile, the state’s leading political parties traded accusations over the recruitment of restless youths for political thuggery.
Mr. Amnom Kwaskebe Kalaye, State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), traced the thuggery to the 2003 administration of former Governor Danjuma Goje. Kwaskebe alleged that Goje’s government first mobilized these youths for political activities and embedded the practice. He acknowledged that subsequent Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo (2011-2019) attempted to curb their activities by employing them, a strategy he claimed yielded positive results.
However, Kwaskebe accused the current administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of reviving an environment conducive to thuggery.
“Thuggery and youth restiveness in Gombe began during former Governor Danjuma Goje’s tenure. The political class exploited these youths to advance their interests, particularly during elections, leading to rampant insecurity and widespread accusations,” he said.
He continued “Governor Dankwambo intervened by organizing them into a security group to curtail their excesses. Employing and paying them salaries yielded positive results, replacing hired attacks with legitimate work.”
“Unfortunately,” Kwaskebe added, “after Dankwambo left, the present government exploited remnants of the ‘Kalare’ groups, dismantling the progress achieved and returning us to a past we thought was forgotten.”
However, in his response, Moses Kyari, spokesman for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State, countered that neither the APC nor the current administration condones thuggery. He emphasized that several government programmes actively engage youths to deter criminality.
Kyari explained that Governor Yahaya’s initiatives, such as establishing the Gombe State Traffic and Environmental Corps (GOSTEC), aim to employ approximately 3,000 youths as environmental officers, traffic wardens, and security personnel.
“Governor Yahaya prioritizes youth engagement,” Kyari asserted. “Consider his appointments, roughly 55% are young people. While selfish politicians might recruit thugs, this government neither appreciates nor promotes such actions.”
Police Say Committed to Tackling the Menace
The Gombe State Police Command, tasked with securing the state capital, has repeatedly pledged to combat the escalating threat of Kalare gang violence.
Reacting to the recent violent attacks by Kalare groups and posing a significant threat to public safety, the police said they are working to dismantle the gangs, particularly in known crime hotspots across the city.
Just recently, Police Spokesperson ASP Buhari Abdullahi announced new security measures including a ban on the public display of weapons, especially during festivals or any public gatherings.
The Police Command has earlier enforced a curfew on motorcycle use between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. According to the spokesperson, these proactive steps aim to clamp down on the surge in Kalare activities throughout the state.
Meanwhile, residents continue to live in fear, especially given the recent resurgence of violent activities in the city.
