…..as 27 taskforce officials lost their lives
By Priscilla Campbell,
Minna
A group of youths simply identified as Concern Shiroro Youths has berated Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, for being insensitivity to the plight of displaced persons in the area.
The group claimed that the governor has not personally visited and sympathized with the displaced people even despite the deaths of about 27 men of the joint security taskforce as well as three civilians counterparts on Sunday.
The taskforce comprised of the Military, Police, and Civil Defense.
The President of Shiroro Progressive Forum and Convener of the group, Bello Ibrahim , who confirmed the deaths, said that the 27 security operatives and three civilians were on Sunday killed in an ambush at Kofa in Gamadima Kogo of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger state.
Ibrahim explained that the eight political wards in Lakpma area with a total of 41 communities have experienced different kinds of attacks from December 9, 2019 to date.
Members of the Concern Youths also accused the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) of not leaving to the expectations of the citizens despite the huge funds released to the agency.
According to Bello, “We have pictorial evidences that showed that there were military and police casualties during the attack on Sunday.
“I can authoritively tell you that the impact of the Sunday attack was devastating because Galkogo town is one of the biggest in the axis. There were casualties involving military and policemen in the attack that lasted for over three hours.
“Twenty seven military men and policemen were killed during the attack. How they were killed, we do not know but I can tell you that we have pictorial evidences.
“Right now, their corpse are with the authorities. The way they were killed is still very sketchy.”
It would be recalled that unknown gunmen attacked two villages of Galkogo and Zumba in Shiroro local government area of Niger state on Sunday killing and injuring people.
When contacted the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the Sunday attack but claimed that there was no police casualty.