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The youth of Niger State have decried the frequent and increasingly audacious attacks on their communities, reportedly carried out by bandits and terrorists. These acts of violence have prompted them to demand urgent attention and intervention from relevant authorities to address the worsening insecurity in their region.
Operating under the umbrella of the Concerned Shiroro Youths of Niger State, the group decried the impact of continuous assaults, revealing that the majority of them have fled their homes. They mourned the loss of safety and stability in their communities, which have been left deserted in the face of relentless violence.
Particularly striking was the group’s mention of the recent bomb explosions in several areas of the state, which led to the death of several innocent individuals and caused grievous injuries to others.
The attacks have left the community in shock, further exacerbating the prevailing atmosphere of fear and unease.
In their frustration, the youths have directed their anger towards both the state and federal governments, accusing them of forsaking their responsibility to ensure their safety. Hailing from several communities in Shiroro Local Government Area, they emphasized that the deep suffering endured by many villages in the hinterlands has only worsened due to the authorities’ failure to shield them from relentless violence and insecurity.
The youths who listed some of the affected communities as Allawa, Bassa, Kukoki, and others said, “Their communities are at the mercy of bandits, terrorists, Fulani herdsmen militias, and kidnappers whose violent modus operandi have blurred the distinctions among these groups.”
According to them, “The terrorists have grown increasingly emboldened, going as far as planting bombs and landmines in the villages under their control. The latest incident involved the multiple bomb explosions in the Bassa community, which tragically claimed the lives of three individuals on their way to their farms.
“You don’t expect less of this incident, especially where the government of the day has deliberately refused to prioritise security (as a policy) in a war-torn region and volatile environment like ours. For emphasis, it’s on record that in less than two weeks, Bassa has experienced explosions of IEDs twice with attendant consequences. Given the quantum of neglect at hand, one is tempted to believe that insecurity-ridden areas like ours have been ceded to the warlords.”
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The youths, acting under the umbrella of Concerned Shiroro Youths of Niger State further noted that the evacuation of a military base in the area over the death of two soldiers compounded their woes.
“This dire situation was exacerbated when the Nigerian Army, previously deployed to combat terrorism in the Allawa axis of Shiroro, withdrew from the area after losing two officers to Improvised Explosive Devices sometime this year.
“Following the withdrawal, the region witnessed coordinated attacks that claimed 13 lives, resulted in the abduction of 26 women, and was accompanied by demands for 130 motorcycles as ransom.
“Despite the outcry from the locals, civil society organisations and concerned individuals, urging the government to restore order. These appeals have largely been ignored.
“The Defence Headquarters later cited deceitful and misleading reasons for withdrawing soldiers from these bandit-infested communities, describing it as a ‘tactical withdrawal.’ Shockingly, many months after the tragic incident, the military has yet to redeploy personnel to the affected areas.
“As a result, many communities, including Allawa, have been deserted. Those unable to abandon their ancestral homes have resigned themselves to fate, living under the oppressive control of bandits who have turned them into virtual slaves in their own lands.
“Despite the magnitude of the latest attack, no statement has been issued by the state or federal government to either condemn it or much less pay their usual lip service of taking a decisive action against the terrorists that have remained a mirage.
“The Chief Press Secretary, to Niger State Governor, Bologi Ibrahim, is only proactive when it comes to issuing statements on flimsy and unimportant issues such as the governor attending weddings and other jamborees. But on issues that involve the loss of precious lives, the governor’s mouthpiece has kept mute.
“The usual excuse of the state government that it is handicapped and can’t command even a police constable when it comes to prosecuting this war is not only face-saving and pedestrian but not tenable as by our current law which stipulates that a state governor remains the chief security officer of his state.
“The Niger State Government can do more than resort to lamentation and blame game as it’s not completely helpless as it wants people to believe. The continued inability of the state government to attract the needed federal government’s attention to our plight has defined how weak the government is and the same is a pointer to the fact that the future is bleak,” the Shiroro Youths further lamented.
