NIGER State Governor Umaru Bago has declared a state of emergency on insecurity in Minna, the state capital.
The governor’s order follows the return of thugs’ operations on Friday night in the capital, which resulted in two deaths and multiple injuries.
The governor also ordered security officers to shoot criminals on sight.
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Bago stated this while speaking at a Sallah Durba festival organised by Babangida Aliyu, the state’s former governor, on his farm in Minna.
” We have zero tolerance for insecurity and thuggery. We have also closed the sites of those artisan miners causing this menace within the state. Anybody found there will be shot to death. Those sponsoring them will also be dealt with decisively,” the governor stated.
Due to insecurity, the Minna Emirate suspended the yearly traditional Sallah Durba for the past few years.
Consequently, the Durban lovers have since relied on Aliyu’s independently organised events.
However, violent incidents returned on Friday in Minna, which is known to be the home of violent gangs like Yandaba.
Speaking on the incident, Aliyu said insecurity was prevalent in some parts of the state.
He said he was happy that the governor declared the emergency.
Niger is one of the states facing insecurity challenges in Nigeria. In 2022, The ICIR reported how parents withdrew their children from schools in the state and its neighbour, Kaduna, when the crisis peaked in the states.
The challenge, which escalated during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, has persisted under the incumbent President Bola Tinubu.
The ICIR reported that over 5,000 Nigerians were killed in Tinubu’s first seven months in office, underscoring the threat posed by the nation’s insecurity.
According to data gathered by The ICIR from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), about 5,135 people were killed between May 29 and December 31, 2023.
Borno, Zamfara, Plateau, Niger and Kaduna were mostly affected, while Ekiti, Jigawa, and Gombe states were the most peaceful place to live in, according to ACLED.
A reporter with the ICIR
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