By Haruna Salami
The Senate has called on security agencies in the country to be proactive in the fight against insurgency, banditry and terrorism to prevent loss of lives and properties.
The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, made the call following a point of order raised by the Deputy Whip, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi representing Niger North senatorial district.
Rising on Order 42, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, drew the attention of the Senate to the recent onslaught by bandits in his senatorial district.
Senator Sabi said he has brought substantive motions twice reporting what his senatorial district is facing in terms of banditry.
He noted that with the onslaught against the bandits who are more in Zamfara and Kaduna states, “any time there is an onslaught against them, they move into Niger state and of recent, they made it a habit”.
According to him “in this particular one, on Monday 14, 2022, the bandits in large number, riding on motor cycles with sophisticated weapons left their abode in Zamfara forest and came to Niger state through Mariga and Rijau local governments and had a temporary camp in a town called Lebele, which has a forest, which is contiguous with the one leading to Zamfara.
“Haven come to Lebele, they encamped at Anaba ward in Magama Local Government. On Tuesday, they proceeded to where they launched a massive attack against Nasko Tomato company and they proceeded to attack a Police station. In that police station they killed the DPO, DSP Umar Muhammed Dakingari. He was killed while addressing his men on the next operation they were having.
Others killed along with him are ASP I, Maganda and ASPII, Abdullahi Gambo.
Unfortunately, some vigilante members were among the victims. “We all know, because of the insecurity situation, vigilantes and other voluntary groups work with the police to assist them. In the process, members of the vigilante corps in that local government were also killed”.
The vigilante corps killed include Haliru Isa, Yakubu Batuga, Ayuba Makeri, Sunday Nuhu, Dauda Sunday Nadodo and Michael Bako, all residents of Nasko, who were brutally killed. The bandits swoop on them and brutally murdered them”.
Sabi said the DSP who was the DPO of Magma LG was “very active in efforts to douse all criminality in the local government”.
“Members of the local government felt they lost someone that day. It was a very touchy moment and it has infuriated some of the residents to the extent that some people were being attacked as result of tha6 episode.
We want to put on record that security agents, who are doing a wonderful job should be encouraged because arising from this, within that same week, these bandits were ambushed in Bangi area of Mariga Local Government were they met their Waterloo.
We want to urge the security agents to continuously block the route where these bandits normally come in because they have known routes.
Senator Sabi urged the Senate observed one minute silence in memory of those who lost their lives.
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege Deputy Senate President, who presided at the Tuesday plenary said he understood why Sabi came under personal explanation.
He said he thought that the security agents would have done better than this in securing the environment. “We expected a proactive action, not action after lives have been lost”, he said.
