Insecurity: Niger Now Has Footprints of ISWAP, Boko Haram Within Its Borders, Says Commissioner

Laleye Dipo

The Niger State government, yesterday, claimed that banditry and terrorism had begun tofester in seven local governments in the state, because of the involvement of men of the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP).

At the same time, the government disclosed that men of the dreaded Boko Haram sect hadintegrated into many communities around the state.

Commissioner for Local Government and Internal Security, Mr Emmanuel Umar, disclosed these, when he delivered a lecture with the theme: “Insecurity in Niger State, The Way Out” at a forum organised in Minna by the Niger State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ.

Umar claimed that it had become difficult for security operatives to bring an end to banditry and terrorism, because of the “Footprints of ISWAP and Bokoharam members in the problem.”

The commissioner also said inadequate manpower especially, on the part of the police, has aggravated insecurity saying, in some communities, “We have only 7 policemen while we don’t even have at all in some other communities, this is coupled with the difficult terrain of most parts of the state.”

In addition, Umar said, because the rural people had no interest in banking, thereby keeping their money at home, an act he said attracted bandits.

According to him, despite the claim that ransoms were not being paid to “these criminal elements” reports have shown that in one incident in Kagara town, N70m was paid to the bandits even as “Not less than N500m” was lost to bandits in an attack on the cattle market in Mariga town of Mariga Local Government.

Umar said all Nigerians should be involved in the fight against banditry and terrorism in the state and the country as a whole, pointing out that “the security agencies need to be properly equipped and reinforced with additional manpower.

In his contribution, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, debunked claims that seven local government areas were under bandit siege, saying the number of the local governments affected were just five.

Abiodun, however, disclosed that the command has identified the routes being followed by the bandits and deployed mobile policemen to the areas.