Niger govt tackles fleeing Zamfara bandits

Niger state government has deployed security personnel to tackle insecurity occasioned by the activities of bandits fleeing security onslaught in neighbouring Zamfara state. The Secretary of Munya Council, Aliyu Dogo, who disclosed this to newsmen on Sunday in Sarkin Pawa, the headquarters of the local government area said prior to the deployment of the security […]

Niger state government has deployed security personnel to tackle insecurity occasioned by the activities of bandits fleeing security onslaught in neighbouring Zamfara state.

The Secretary of Munya Council, Aliyu Dogo, who disclosed this to newsmen on Sunday in Sarkin Pawa, the headquarters of the local government area said prior to the deployment of the security personnel comprising of the Army and police, many communities have been at the mercy of the bandits.

“The bandits from Zamfara have been terrorising villages situated along Sarikin Pawa – Kaduna road. Following the development, we alerted the state government and they responded promptly by deploying security operatives which comprises of military, police and vigilante to deal with the situation,” he explained.

He said the state government’s intervention greatly assisted in curbing the activities of the bandits in the area as those who had fled their various communities at the peak of the mayhem have started returning.

He said the bandits always invade communities late in the nights and wee hours when people are in bed, dispossessing them of their properties, even as he added that at some points the bandits resorted to kidnapping and demanding ransom.

He said the activities of the bandits have greatly affected the fortune of predominantly farming communities as many fled and abandoned their occupation especially during the rainy season.

The Director of Works in Munya council, Mohammed Adamu, who also confirmed the security challenges said the activities of the bandits thrived because certain elements in the affected communities serve as informants to them.

The leader of the vigilante in Sariki Pawa, Saliah Mohammed, blamed the security challenge on porous bounders of Kaduna, Zamfara and other neighbouring states.

Mohammed said the joint effort of the security agencies provided by the state government have reduced bandits operations in Munya and its environs.

Also, the village head of Sarikin Pawa, Malam Musa Mohammed, called on the state government to maintain permanent security presence in the area, adding that there is the likelihood that bandits would return if they noticed that security operatives have left.

He also appealed to the state government to construct rural feeder roads to enable the people of the area move their produce to the markets at harvest periods.