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  • Vehicular Support to Niger: Critics got it Wrong – By Aliyu Mohammed

    Vehicular Support to Niger: Critics got it Wrong – By Aliyu Mohammed

    By Aliyu Mohammed

    There is, currently, a national hysteria over the recent vehicles purchased by the federal government of Nigeria and donated to Niger Republic to boost security in that beleaguered nation. Since the “scandal” blew open, Nigeria’s tribe of the informed, the misinformed and the mischievous are united in lacerating and whipping the government of the day on this account.

    Columnists, writers of all hues, breakfast shows hosts, panelists on radio and of course, the ubiquitous social media “influencers” all, without reprieve, are exacting their pound of flesh on what they all concluded is a misplaced priority.

    As I write, editorials are being churned out condemning the purchase of these vehicles. One editorial by a major newspaper with a history of subjectivity and promoting regional divide described the act as that of a “Santa Claus” doling out moneys to other sovereignties whimsically.

    The government’s defense, so far, has been feeble and lackluster. It merely justified the purchase on the grounds of “security”.

    Security or lack of it in the Sahel, for which, Niger Republic with a landmass of nearly 500,000sq mi, constitutes, a substantial part, should be a major concern to Nigeria. In sheer size, it is the second biggest country in West Africa. It is bigger than Nigeria by a staggering 148,000sq mi. Eighty per cent (80%) of Niger Republic is arid and its population is one quarter of Nigeria’s. This means despite its enormous size, it is scarcely populated. Its twenty five (25) million inhabitants are mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture. It is a highly indebted Country (HIPC).

    Nigeria shares border in the north with this vast country. Apart from providing vast land cover for cross border criminals and bandits, Niger Republic provides sanctuary to insurgent elements of the dreaded ISWAP.It is also a smuggling route. A lot of Nigeria’s refined petroleum products. A 2019 report by the Guardian said that Nigeria loses over one trillion naira daily as a result of fuel smuggling across borders to West African states. The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) put Nigeria’s daily fuel consumption at 52 million litres but the actual fuel consumed is 45 million litres.

    A litre of petrol sells at N400 in Niger Republic Niger Republic pose as a threat to Nigeria’s security on account of illegal migration. Several illegal aliens find their way into the country under cover of the free movement and trade under the ECOWAS Protocol on free movement and Trans border security.

    Increasingly nation states realize the importance of cooperation and integration. Nigeria with the biggest economy on the continent of Africa appreciates the import of sub regional integration and having secure neighbours. The country is battling with raging cocktail of insurgency and banditry.

    States have realized that they can’t live in isolation. Rich and poor nations appreciate the importance of corroboration in boosting commerce, trade and security.

    The goal of any national security is the protection lives, property and promotion of the country’s enduring needs. One of such is enduring security.

    And in the final analysis, a serious country will always create and maintain an enabling environment for the prosperity of the nation.

    Informed critics know this. But they will chose to misinformed and misguide mainly for mischievous political reasons. This latest opposition didn’t come as a surprise.

  • Gov. Bello of Niger sacks DG SDGs over lack of reforms

    Gov. Bello of Niger sacks DG SDGs over lack of reforms

    Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger has approved the immediate termination of the appointment of the Director-General, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Alhaji Abdullahi  Arah.

    This was stated in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Ahmed  Matane, on Saturday in Minna.

    “The removal of the director-general is to facilitate, accelerated implementation of the reforms being initiated by the government towards attainment of the SDGs in the state,” Matane said.

    According to him, Arah is incapable of piloting the affairs of his office as required by the state government having failed to perform to its expectations.

  • Niger govt. confirms bandit attack on mining site

    The Niger Government has confirmed an attack by bandits on a mining site at Ajata Aboki village, Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.

    The state Commissioner for Internal Security, Mr Emmanuel Umaru confirmed the incident in a statement in Minna on Thursday.

    Umaru said the bandits attacked the site at about 6.00 p.m on Wednesday.

    He said that a joint security team was quickly mobilised to the scene in response to a distress call received by the government.

    “Consequently, the joint security team engaged the terrorists and they were yet to determine the number of casualties from both sides.

    “However, a yet to be ascertained number of workers in the mining site including four Chinese nationals were reported to have been abducted.

    “Security forces were reinforced for the manhunt of the remaining terrorists as some of them were neutralised and rescue of the injured victims including security personnel,” Umaru added.

    The commissioner said that those injured had been evacuated to government hospitals for treatment.

    “While the Niger government commiserates with heads of security agencies in the state and families of the slain personnel, the state government assures that their sacrifices will not go in vain.

    “The state government acknowledge all the efforts of the joint security operatives and that of the communities toward taming the spate of insecurity in some parts of the state,” he added.

    Umar enjoined the security personnel not to be discouraged in discharging their constitutional duties against all forms of threats.

    He assured that the state government would continue to provide them with the needed support to enable them eradicate banditry in the state.

    The commissioner added that Gov. Abubakar Bello had directed security agencies to ensure the safe return of the kidnapped victims.

  • Sad! Niger Govt confirms NAF jet killed four kids of same parent

    Sad! Niger Govt confirms NAF jet killed four kids of same parent

    The Secretary to the Niger State Government, Ibrahim Matane, has confirmed the killing of six children by a NAF fighter jet in the state.

    Matane said four of the children were of the same family, and the incident which occurred last week, is being investigated

    He stated that the children were killed during a raid on the terrorists.

    The incident occurred in the Kurebe Community, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

    When asked if six children were killed by a NAF fighter jet, Matane replied, “Yes, it occurred, the government is looking into the incident and an investigation is ongoing to ascertain what happened.”

    According to the chairperson Coalition of Shiroro Associations, Salis Sambo, who spoke to our correspondent, the children got killed when the fighter jets tried to bomb some terrorists who ran into the Community for safety.

    He said the affected children were returning from the stream where they had gone to fetch water, adding that four of the children were members of the same family.

    “It was the terrorists that they were targeting. That week, there were about four airstrikes carried out in Shiroro and scores of terrorists were killed. The terrorists ran into the community to take refuge and when the explosives were shelled, it affected the children. It wasn’t deliberate,” he added.

    Sambo said that a man lost two of his daughters and two granddaughters in the incident.

  • Niger Emir rescues 2 girls from forced marriage

    Niger Emir rescues 2 girls from forced marriage

    The Emir of Agaie in Niger state, Alhaji Yusuf Nuhu, has rescued two girls from their parents who wanted to force them into early marriage.

    Nuhu disclosed this to newsmen shortly after a sensitisation campaign on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) on Saturday in Agaie Local Government Area of Niger state.

    Nuhu said that the girls are currently in his custody and have refused to release the children to their parents until they allow the girls to marry men of their choice.

    “Here in my emirate, I preach against early and forced marriage, currently, I have two girls under my custody whose parents wanted to force into marrying men they didn’t love.

    “Until their parents agree to allow them marry the men they love, I will not release the girls. This is because if they are forced into the marriage, they might not live in peace as husbands and wives due to lack of love.

    “As parents, we must learn to respect the option of our children and we have been preaching on that which to some extent is yielding results,” he said.

    He described the sensitisation campaign as “key and timely” as it would complement the efforts of the council in sensitising members of the area against child abuse, early marriage and domestic violence.

    Earlier in her welcome address, Hajiya Mairo Mann, Chairperson of the state GBV Advocacy Committee, advised parents to open up on violence perpetrated against them and their children in order to get justice.

    She said the sensitisation campaign was to enlighten and educate parents and children on GBV and appropriate steps to take when confronted by such a situation.

    Mann advised parents and guardians to be up to their responsibilities by training their children on the right part as well as monitoring the peer groups their children associate with.

    Also, Malam Mustapha Yunusa, Director, Child Development in the state Ministry of Women Affairs, said the sensitisation was to educate parents on response and preventive steps to GBV such as what to do to help victims in terms of medical attention and financial assistance.

    In her remarks, Hajiya Tallatu Ekawu, Officer in Charge of Women Development in the Council, lauded the committee for bringing the sensitisation campaign to the area which had further expanded their knowledge and opened their eyes on what GBV is all about.

  • [Video] Petrol, diesel storage tanks explode in Niger

    [Video] Petrol, diesel storage tanks explode in Niger

    A fire outbreak on Monday engulfed a building in Javino, an area of Gauraka in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger.

    Some eyewitnesses said the inferno was caused by activities at the building where fuel was stored illegally.

    With fuel scarcity in the country, the owner of the goods was said to also store diesel in tanks for sale to customers as ‘black market’.

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    According to eyewitness, the owner at about 6:35am attempted to use a pumping machine to fill an iron keg leading to the fire outbreak.

    The fire rose to consume other tanks containing fuel and diesel, a few shops around and the roof of a building under construction.

    After about 30 minutes of inferno, the Niger State Fire Service arrived at the scene to salvage the situation but ran out of water shortly after.

    A private organisation, Empire Energy Limited that was close by, were alerted and arrived with their fire truck and helped quench the fire completely.

    Linda Albert, one of the eyewitnesses, wants the dealers of such goods taken away from residential area.

    “Early this morning, we heard fire and we came out it was really a bad sight but we thank God that the fire is out.

    “If the government can help us take these people away from here. This is a residential area and imagine if this fire incident started in the night, lives would have been lost,” Albert said.

    NAN

  • FG to demarcate FCT/ Niger, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa boundaries

    FG to demarcate FCT/ Niger, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa boundaries

    The Federal Government has restated its commitment to demarcate the boundaries between the FCT and four neighbouring States.

    Mr Adamu Adaji, Director-General, National Boundary Commission (NBC), made this known in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.

    He said the Internal Boundary Committee of the Commission chaired by Mr Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing, had met with the concerned states and okayed the process to begin.

    He said that the demarcation of the boundary was necessary to avoid conflict.

    “We met on Monday and the FCT Minister said he was in touch with the governors concerned and that they pledged their support for the exercise.

    “The FCT is bordered by Niger, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Kogi.

    “We have some uncertainties about the correct alignment of the boundary, because the gaps between the pillars in place to define the corner points boundary are far apart.

    “In some cases, you find pillars that are far as 80km apart. So we agreed that there is need to put more pillars,” he said.

    The NBC boss explained that the Commission had gone far with some other inter-state boundary issues across the country.

    He said the commission has completed tracing exercise for some states and the demarcation process will begin soon.

    “Be rest assured that the Commission is making progress and with the commitment of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, we will do much more.

    “The Commission has fared better in terms of funding from the Federal Government and cooperation from the states.

    “Very soon we will have those boundaries properly defined.

    “Also, a boundary cannot serve its purpose until it is properly recognised on ground, and for you to do that, you must have markers on ground for people to know.

    “Also note that boundaries are not barriers or made to cause division of families and properties, it is just for administrative convenience,” Adaji said.

  • NIGER: Gunmen attack wedding ceremony, kill 8 people

    NIGER: Gunmen attack wedding ceremony, kill 8 people

    Gunmen have attacked a wedding ceremony in Niger State and carted away money, abducted bride, killed eight people while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries.

    The gunmen, who were said to be numbering over 100, also invaded 10 communities and sacked residents in Lavun Local Government Area of the state.

    A resident of Ndakogitu community who prefers to be anonymous said the bandits also attacked a wedding ceremony where they abducted the bride and another girl.

    “They came into our community and went to the venue of a wedding, they stole all the monies realized at the wedding ceremony, including other valuables were also snatched.

    “The rampaging gunmen also said to have rustle a number of cattle belonging to the villagers.

    The attack which lasted all through Saturday night to Sunday displaced over 5,000 persons.

    According to a source who spoke to our correspondent, the terrorists went to different communities shooting at residents who were scampering for safety.

    After the attacks, the terrorists were said to have left with rustled cattle but were unable to escape with them as the only bridge linking the community with Akare had collapsed leaving them with no option but to abandon the cattle and escape.

    The vigilance group in the communities however mobilized themselves and confronted the bandits who eventually killed six of the locals as a result of them being ill-equipped.

    The attack have however forced the people in the affected communities to flee their homes, while those who had earlier gone to the nearby market at Batati have not return home for fear of being attacked by the gunmen.

    When contacted, the state’s Commissioner for Local Government and Internal Security, Emmanuel Umar, confirmed the latest attacks but said he was yet to get the details of the incident.

    Some of the communities attacked includes Egbako, Ndaruka, Ebbo, Ndagbegi, Tshogi, Gogata and Ndakogitu, all in Lavun local government.

  • Niger Military Operations: Bello lauds Buhari, assures citizens of safety

    Niger Military Operations: Bello lauds Buhari, assures citizens of safety

    Gov. Sani Bello of Niger has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for ordering massive onslaught against bandits and insurgents in the state.

    The governor made the commendation while reacting to questions from State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja.

    According to him, the security challenges troubling the state will soon be a thing of the past, as adequate steps are being taken to address the problem.

    Bello expressed optimism that in the next two weeks, residents would start to witness some improvements in terms of security situation across the state.

    He said: “I am very optimistic with the kind of zeal I have seen from our security agencies and all services. I’m very optimistic that the situation will be addressed. And hopefully, we should get a very peaceful state within the shortest possible time.

    “But there is still a lot of work to do. We share borders with Kaduna, Zamfara and Kebbi States. And these bandits have the habit of hibernating between forests, moving from Zamfara to Kebbi, and Kebbi to Niger.

    “They take advantage of the cattle routes which they already know. They move on motorcycles. And most of the areas and communities they attack have no access roads. So, you cannot drive there. So, our response time is slow.

    “But going forward, there will be new strategies which I earlier mentioned. It will help us.

    “But I can’t disclose some of those strategies. But basically, the States of Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi would have to work together to address the situation simultaneously.”

    Bello said he was in the State House to update the President on the security developments in Niger, adding that he had a fruitful discussion with Buhari.

    “This afternoon, I came to visit Mr President to give him an update on the security situation in Niger State with regard to banditry activities, kidnapping, and cattle rustling, among others. We had a very fruitful discussion.

    “We were able to review some of the invasions in the state. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you all. In the last few days, there have been a lot of activities in Niger State.

    “Hopefully, in the next few weeks, we see some relief with regard to banditry. I also gave a highlight on some of the challenges, of course, our size is a disadvantage, almost nine million hectares. We lost some forests,” he said.

    The governor, who gave a breakdown of casualties recorded during attacks in the state in the last 17 days, said:

    “In January this year alone, we suffered not less than 50 reported attacks and loss of lives, between Jan. 1 and 17.

    “Within the same period, not less than 300 communities have been invaded by bandits. The number of people kidnapped is 200, including three Chinese nationals.

    “We also lost some security personnel. Their number is 25. Unfortunately, we lost about 165 civilians and 30 local vigilantes.

    “So, it’s a very dire situation that we have been battling in the last few weeks since the beginning of this year.

    “What I realise is that they have been taking us on a merry-go-round. When we deal with them in Niger, they move to Kaduna. When Kaduna deals with them, they move to Katsina. They have been hibernating in the forests.

    “Some of these operations need to be handled simultaneously so that we get the result.

    “We are not happy and we are sad with the developments in these states. We are doing whatever we can, using kinetic and non-kinetic efforts to see that we address the present situation.

    “As we go on, we will try to update you from time to time on progress being made in this fight,” he added.

    He called for recruitment of more security personnel as a way of sustaining successes recorded in the fight against bandits.

  • Niger boat mishap: Driver, lady survived –agency

    Niger boat mishap: Driver, lady survived –agency

    The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) says only the driver and a lady survived the boat mishap that occurred on Sunday at Zhigiri village, Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.

    Alhaji Ahmed Inga, the Director-General of the agency, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Wednesday that the bodies of the seven victims of the mishap had also been recovered.

    He said the mishap occurred while the boat was sailing to Dnaweto, a neighbouring village in the hinterland, for a naming ceremony.

    Inga said that the passengers of the boat were nine and they took off from Zhijigiri village to Dnaweto village.

    He said that the boat sailed on the water from the ongoing construction of the Zungeru hydro electric power dam.

    “The boat driver and a lady survived while seven person lost their lives to the unfortunate incident.

    “The bodies of the deceased have been recovered and buried”, he said.