The Commissioner, Niger State Police Command, Adamu Usman, has said the incessant banditry attacks that have claimed several lives and rendered many homeless is as a result of the nature of the terrain and poor communication network in parts of the State.
The CP said this on Tuesday when he spoke with newsmen at the Niger State House of Assembly.
It should be recalled that last month, the Convener, Niger Accountability Group and State Coordinator, National Day of Mourning, Mathew Oladele, told newsmen that over 90 persons have lost their lives to various vices in the first quarter of this year alone in the state.
According to Oladele: “Between 2018 and now, we have recorded deaths in couples of hundreds of Nigerlites to violent killings across the State, while the first quarter of 2020 alone recorded ninety (90) deaths.
“Yet, without much ado from government.”
Usman on Tuesday spoke with newsmen after a closed door session with legislators who invited him to explain why bandits continue to hold away in the state, especially in Niger East Senatorial District, which has become the epicenre of bandits attacks.
He said apart from banditry, which has persisted in parts of the state, the Police is faced with rape, cattle rustling and armed robbery challenges.
The lawmakers had invited the COMPOL; State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello; Director of Department of State Services in the state; and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
According to the Commissioner: “The particular challenges we face are the difficult terrain and communication.
“In fact, there are some places that if you must go, you have to go through Kaduna State.
“So the terrain is a problem.
“And also some of these communities have no network connection.
“So, if there is problem or before information gets to us, the bandits would have escaped.”
The CP, while assuring that the Police will continue to do its best to ensure banditry is permanently eliminated in the State, however, sought for the cooperation of the lawmakers, saying they are closer to the people in the rural area and should therefore oblige the Force with adequate information.
Usman described security as everybody’s business, adding: “The House of Assembly is a vital organ.
“They are close to the people through their representatives.
“So, they have a critical role to play.”
The representative of Niger East Senatorial District, Senator Sani Musa, had also cried for help, saying since the attacks, hundreds of lives of been lost and thousands rendered homeless.
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