Stakeholders in Niger State have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently declare state of emergency on the rising insecurity in the state.
Speaking Tuesday during an interface organized by the state government in Minna, stakeholders warned that unless desperate measures are taken by governments at state and national levels to halt the raging insecurity across the state, Niger may go down the Zamfara path.
Daily Trust reports that renewed banditry activities especially in Shiroro and Rafi local government areas have resulted in the loss of many lives with over 1, 000 displaced.
Government officials, including security agencies, admitted that bandits are flocking to the state from Zamfara, Kaduna and Sokoto and are taking refuge in Kamuku Forest, which stretches through the affected states.
Governor Bello said a bulk of the state’s resources are being channeled into tackling the menace, adding that more than N470 million has so far been spent to curb the development.
Speaking during the meeting, former Minister of State of Niger Delta, HajiyaZainabKuchi urged the state and federal government to act promptly before the menace “consume us all.”
Also, Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, AlhajiYahayaAbubakar called for a new approach in tackling the security situation.
According to him, tackling insecurity is capital intensive, which requires an intervention from the federal government.
“Declare a state of emergency in security and road,” he reiterated, while calling for synergy among all security agencies.
“The money you said you have spent in fighting insecurity, you will not use half of that if you have a community or state police at hand,” he said.
Responding to the observations, Governor Bello agreed that resorting to community policing may be the way out.
“I agree with you on the call for state police because without state police, we cannot have effective policing. The state government does not have control over the security apparatus in its state as the Commissioner of Police will take orders from the IGP. We are spending more money than we can in fighting insecurity,” he said.
