Niger State gov’t discloses 5 LGAs governed by Boko Haram, ISWAP insurgents

The Niger State government has expended a total of N5 billion on security management and provision of logistics to curtail the increasing proportion of insecurity in the state within the last two years, the Secretary to the government of Niger State, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed Matane has disclosed.

He stated that a total of over N300 milion has been spent on the internally displaced persons (IDPs)’ camps across the State.

Addressing journalists at a news briefing in his office Tuesday, Ibrahim Matane explained that the Abubakar Sani Bello led administration placed premium on the security challenges pervading the State in the last two years.

He disclosed that five local government in the State have been placed under heavy siege of the activities of armed men believed to be members of Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Boko Haram which their activities within their areas of operation in State posed serious threats to the locals.

According to the SSG, the State is passing through the security challenge as a result of the onslaught being launched against the armed bandits in Zamfara and Kaduna states which he noted that the heat on the bandits made them to relocate to Niger State.

Added that the operational activities of the armed bandits in Borgu Local Government is a resemblance of the dreaded Boko Haram already dislodged from the Northeast now relocated to Niger state.

He said their activities are more noticeable in parts of Borgu, Shiroro, Mariga and Mashegu Local Government where they now inculcate the communities with their ideology into the youths.

“These resemblance of men of Islamic state of West Africa Province (ISWAP), are now habiting with these communities. They join them in their Jummat prayers. every week. They preach to them to withdraw their girls from school for marriage. You can now see that their ideology is that of ISWAP and that of Boko Haram in the Northeast” he said.

Matane told Journalists that the bandits have now taken another step of taxing members of communities particularly the farmers to some amount of money as taxes before they would be allowed to harvest their farm products.

In some cases, he added that if they failed to meet up to their demands, they would now set the farms on fire, adding that farmers now take refuge in any of the IDPs camps for fear of attack from the armed men.

He explained that as a result of the activities of the armed bandits in the State, a total of 151,380 displaced persons have been recorded in Niger State in the last two years which spread across 10 Local Government Areas of the state.

The SSG reiterated the governor Abubakar Sani Bello administration’s commitment to ensure the protection of lives and property of the people in the State at all times, assuring that security of citizens of the State were so premium to his administration and this would not be compromised.