.Render 1,000 persons homeless
By Ummi Ismaeel,
Minna
Armed bandits have resumed attack on communities in Niger State less than a month after Governor Abubarkar Sani Bello claimed to have brokered truce with them.
In the early hours of Wednesday and Thursday this week, the bandits struck in seven communities in Shiroro Local
Government Area unchallenged.
The areas most affected by the attack are Gyaramiya, Bataron Jatau and Bataron Waziri.
Eyewitnesses said that the armed men who invaded the communities rode on motorcycles as they dispossessed their victims of valuables including cash and properties including different types of food stuff and petroleum products.
Though no life was lost, the bandits had threatened to raze down the communities if the residents fail to immediately vacate their homes for them or relocate to nearby village, Alawa, within the same local government.
Lamenting the renewed attacks, the District Head of Alawa, Alhaji Ibrahim Salihu, who confirmed the attacks on telephone, said, “This evening we have over 1, 200 of our people displaced from the three communities looking for shelter and food”.
The District head, who appealed for urgent intervention of the state government and deployment of security agencies to the affected areas appealed to the state government to come to their aid, lamenting what he termed, ‘‘abandonment to the mercy of the bandits’’.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Niger State Command, DSP Abubakar Mohammed Dan-Inna, said that he was yet to be furnished with details of the attacks by the Divisional Police Officer
(DPO) in-charge of the affected area.
The PPRO also pointed out that due to the difficulties in network,
coupled with the bad terrain linking the area with other parts of the state, communication to officers in the area was a major challenge in trying to arrest whatever prevalent security situation in the area.
None of the state government officials including the Governor, the Deputy Governor, Secretary to State Government (SSG) or any of the principal officers were however on hand to provide answers to questions on what is being done to bring the situation under control.
