The Locust of kaduna

Kaduna Textile Limited (KTL)



John Shiklam writes on the damage being done to the property of a once flourishing Kaduna Textile Limited (KTL) by a gang of criminals

It was once a thriving industry, just like the banking sector. But textile industry across Nigeria’s landscape has long been forgotten, though a few players are still in the industry. One of the names in the sector back in the days was Kaduna Textile Limited (KTL) jointly owned by the 19 northern states. The company was established by the late Premier of the defunct Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto in 1957.

But with a wave of recession that hit the industry, the company closed shop in 2002. Its closure was not also unconnected with poor management which eventually led to the sack of thousands of its workers and its subsequent moribund situation.

However, since the closure of the textile company in Kaduna, a criminal gang has been going round to vandalise and loot its property.

Many years after the closure of the company, these gangsters, popularly known as ‘KTL thieves,’ have been looting the textile machines belonging to the company for quick money.

Besides vandalising and looting of the textile machines, the hoodlums were also said to be terrorising residents of Makera and Kakuri area of Kaduna where the textile company is located.

When it was prosperous, the KTL was a beehive of business activities with over nine thousand workers on its pay roll. But today, the expansive company is desolate, while the machines have become rusted and decayed.

Our correspondent who visited the factory recently noticed that most of the machines were completely rusted and in bad condition, while reptiles, including domestic animals like goats and cows have become the new occupants of a once burgeoning  manufacturing company that was a few years ago, a major employer of labour in the country.

A tour of the large factory revealed that the sophisticated machines must have cost the then northern regional government a fortune, but unfortunately, most of the machines today may probably be fit only for the museums as they have become obsolete.

But the most disturbing aspect of the misfortune that had befallen this company is the activities of this armed gang, comprising mostly of jobless youths who continue to steal from the moribund company.

It was learnt that the problem started some years ago when the management of the former company decided to invite some of the youths to dismantle some of the machines that were considered scraps from the factory.

According to sources, the management was advised against the consequences of such action, but they turned a deaf ear, and that has now impacted on the misfortune of the company.

“Their  invitation into the factory to remove the scraps, not only gave them the opportunity to learn how to dismantle the machines, but it  also gave them the idea that they could remove parts of the machines and sell to make money.  

“Since that time, vandalising and stealing of the factory machines became a lucrative business among the hoodlums who continue to wreak havoc on the textile company,” said a person familiar with the situation at the textile company.

Some ex-workers of the distressed textile company were believed to be working in agreement with the vandals who steal and sell the machines in scraps to some unscrupulous persons at the Kakuri Market in Kaduna.

It was also alleged that some policemen at the Kakuri Divisional Police Station were also working to protect the criminals because of the money they make from the deal.

Many residents of the Kakuri and Makera area accused the police of aiding the activities of this gang who sources told THISDAY are also rapists.

According to one of the residents of Makera who pleaded anonymity, whenever a complaint is lodged against any of the gang members, "the police don’t act,"adding that "even if arrest is made, it is just for formality as the culprit is released after some few minutes at the police station and he comes back boasting that nobody can do anything to him.

“Once they are arrested and taken to that the police station, the police will just release them without any proper investigation, because it appears that some of the policemen are getting money from the boys."

He added: "If you lodge complain against them at the station and they are brought to the station, the way you see some of the policemen interacting with them tells you that they are in business together and by the time you leave the station, they are released and that is the end of the matter.

“They boys will come back and tell you that there is nothing you can do to them and they will even threaten you. So the boys are a terror to the community."

But the Kaduna State police commissioner, Mr. Olufunke Adenaike dismissed the allegations against his men at the Kanuri Divisional Police Station and challenged those making such allegations to come out with evidence.

"I have heard the allegation that our men are involved in the vandalisation of a textile company’s property, but I have asked the community to come with a proof that my men are truly involved and nobody has come forward. It is a mere rumour and should be disregarded," he said.

However, on Saturday, July 13, 2013, the situation of things led to a violent confrontation, when the youths in Kakuri community mobilised and went after the hoodlums, arresting some suspected members of the gang and handed them over to the police.

During the encounter, the gangsters burnt a house, injured three people and vandalised about fifteen cars. A week later, one of the injured persons died at the St. Gerard Catholic Hospital, Kaduna.

A couple of days later, the youths regrouped again and went after the gangsters and members of their families. It took the swift intervention of soldiers from the Artillery Division of the Nigerian Army in the area to restore law and order.

Dane guns, charms, knives, machetes and other dangerous weapons were said to have been recovered from the suspected hoodlums. Thereafter, a combine team of soldiers and the police were on patrol to ensure that law and order is maintained and to deal ruthlessly with any act of criminality.

While narrating their ordeals in the hands of the vandals, the guards at the factory lamented that since the hoodlums started operating, it has been a nightmare for them.

It was learnt that the hoodlums had been using  KTL as base where they consume hard drugs before starting to loot the property of the company.

According to one of the factory guards, Mr. Bala Gofwan, the hoodlums often break a part of the fence for access into the factory.
“It's never difficult for them to gain access, because the fence is old and weak and they oftentimes break the fence to come inside. Sometimes they sleep inside the factory until the following day. They normally come in a very large number and they are always well armed with guns and other dangerous weapons.

“If we notice their presence, we will not go near the location where they are. Sometimes if we report to the police they find it difficult to track them because the factory is very large.

“There was a time they almost killed a policeman when he pursued them inside the factory, the policeman sustained serious injuries and was rushed to hospital.”

He continued: “As large as this factory is, there are only 12 of us working as security men running three shifts. There used to be many people working as guards but they sacked everybody with just 12 of us remaining and since we don’t have any weapon we only restrict our activities to the gate area. We dare not move round the factory.

“Sometimes the hoodlums will chase us away and three or four of us cannot face them, because they are always armed while we don’t have any weapon. So we have been working here at a great risk until the Makera and Kakuri communities and the military decided to descend on them.

“We restricted movement of people around the gate, it is just unfortunate that we cannot patrol the factory because it is very large and we have no weapon. Even if we have weapons, we cannot face the boys because they are always too many and well armed. They almost killed one of our colleagues who run into them in the night.”

THISDAY investigations further revealed that one of the reasons why the activities of the vandals persisted for this long was because of the collaboration of some of the former workers of the company who are also said to be involved in the looting of company’s property.

Many of them are said to be jobless without any serious means of lifelihood and had resorted to aiding the thieves.
Accusing fingers were also pointed to the security men guarding the premises as well as some member of the management staff who are also said to have been responsible for the dastardly act.

Sources told THISDAY that for several months, the security men had not been paid while the members of the management staff of the comatose company are also finding it tough to care for their families.

But one of the management staff who pleaded anonymity denied the allegations saying there is no iota of truth in it.
It was gathered that several of the culprits arrested and charged to the magistrate courts are being given very light sentences with an option of fine, where they are convicted.

According to sources, sentences being given to them are in the range of two to three months jail term or they are asked to pay between N3000 to N5000 as an option.

“How can a somebody steal something and he sells it for thousands of naira and instead of the court to send him to jail, he is given an option of paying a paltry sum of N5000 for him to freely go away?

“This type of punishment does not deter a criminal, but it encourages him to continue with his criminal tendencies," said Mr. Wordim Simdik, the Chairman of Closed and Unpaid Textile Workers Association.

Simdik commended the intervention of the military in taming the criminals and called on residents of the area to continue to support the security agencies towards ensuring that the property of the textile company are not destroyed

Speaking in an interview, Simdik said his association is pressurising the 19 northern state governors to reopen the company.
According to him, the company had remained in comatose, because the governors were yet to access the Textiles and Garmenting Revival Fund in the Bank of Industry (BoI).

The collapse of oil prices in the early 1980s adversely affected the Nigerian economy and textile industries experienced a period of financial and management problems.  Capital depreciation, power failures, smuggling of textile materials and competition from newer firms also contributed to the present state of textile companies in Nigeria.

Since the closure of  KTL in 2002, which led to the laying off of its over 9,000 workers, with many of them dead, due to various ailments and their inability to access medical facilities, it has been a tale of woes. But to allow the looting spree to continue is an additional pain to those whose labour for many years in the company are now in vain.

lifestyle 8:22:00 PM