Niger State government has appealed to the Nigerian Army to redeploy its troops to communities prone to terrorism.
The Acting Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba made the appeal in an interview with newsmen after the Fidda’u prayer for the 13 people killed by bandits in Shiroro Local Government Area.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the victims lost their lives on Wednesday when they were ambushed by bandits on their way to their farm in Anguwan village.
Garba said the withdrawal of troops from Allawa and other communities had weakened government’s efforts to eradicate insecurity in the state.
“I want to appeal to our military to see reasons to go back to Allawa and other prone areas to give full security cover to our people who are predominantly farmers”, he said.
He said the Bago-led administration had deployed strategies to end insecurity, which had brought safety to commuters along Kuta, Gwada, Zumba and Erena roads in Shiroro.
He noted that those killed in the attack were displaced farmers that left the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps.
Malam Isah Allawa, father of one of the victims, said the bandits killed eight people by shooting, while five drowned while to fleeing the scene of the attack.
“My son, Mubarak Isah was among the people killed, the bandits caught them unawares, they separated people from Allawa and those from Kagara in Rafi Local Government.
“The bandits asked people from Kagara to go while those from Allawa had their hands tied to their back before they started killing them”, he said.
Also, Murjanatu Musa, who lost her son in the attack, said the deceased was married with a daughter, adding that the deceased’s father was also killed in 2023 by bandits.
NAN reports that the acting governor was accompanied to the three-day Fidda’u prayer by the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umaru Farouk. NAN
