Laleye Dipo in Minna
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has claimed that bandits have set up camps in some parts of Niger State from where they are unleashing terror on the people.
The party, in a statement by the state Secretary of the party, Alhaji Sulaiman Zhigun, said contrary to the position of government several people are still staying in Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs) across some local governments in the state.
“Till now, the PDP knows for sure there are several IDPs in Kagara housing people who forcefully left their villages at Allawa, Kukoki, Pangu Gari, Madaka and neighboring villages in Rafi Local Government Area. Similar situation is in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state,” the party said.
The party scribe described the peace deal between government and the bandits as “a farce” because the people were still being harassed and attacked on daily basis by these bandits.
“The PDP finds it painful that after lives are lost, people displaced due solely to banditry, the governor has allegedly refused to stay in the state to tackle the issues. The governor comes with an ‘arrangee’ model of amnesty for bandits, when we are aware that the bandits have set up camps across the state,” the party added.
He also accused the state government of not taking the security issue in the state serious, alleging that the present administration had not collaborated with the security agencies properly by providing them with operational vehicles needed for their movements.
Sulaiman lamented that the security agencies in the state “are still battling with the Nissan pick-up vans donated to them five years ago by the PDP-led government of former governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu’s administration since 2015.”
The PDP advised Bello “to take the issues of security seriously by giving all the security agencies support, cutting his travels and staying home to hold regular security meetings and urgently providing reliefs to those affected by the menace.”
