The Niger State Government has called on the Nigerian Army to deploy its troops to communities in the state presently under the siege of bandits.
The call followed a series of attacks on several local governments in the state where the residents were either killed or abducted.
In some cases, shops were razed after looting.
The state’s acting governor, Yakubu Garba, made the call on Saturday during a chat with newsmen during the Fida’u prayer for 13 farmers killed by bandits in the Shiroro LG.
The farmers were on their farms in Anguwan village when the bandits attacked and shot nine of them on the spot while the remaining four were dragged to another location where they were killed.
Garba, in his speech, said the withdrawal of troops from Allawa and other communities had weakened the government’s efforts to end insecurity in the state.
“I want to appeal to our military to see reasons to go back to Allawa and other bandits-prone areas to give full security cover to our people who are predominantly farmers.
The withdrawal of troops from Allawa and other communities has weakened the government’s efforts to eradicate insecurity in the state.
“The Bago-led administration had deployed strategies to end insecurity, which had brought safety to commuters along the Kuta, Gwada, Zumba and Erena roads in Shiroro council. Those farmers killed in the attack were displaced farmers who left the Internally Displaced Persons (camp),” Garba said.
A father of one of the victims, Isah Allawa, who spoke with newsmen, narrated, “My son Mubarak Isah is among the people killed; the bandits caught them unaware. They separated people from Allawa and those from Kagara in Rafi Local Government.
“The bandits asked people from Kagara to go while those from Allawa had their hands tied to their backs before they started killing them.”
Also, a widow, Murjanatu Musa, who lamented that she lost her son in the attack, said the deceased was married before he was killed. She said she lost her husband in 2023 to a bandits’ attack.
(PUNCH)