Nigerian Army Takes Military Exercise To Bandits Prone LGA in Niger

By Laleye Dipo in Minna

In what appeared like taking the battle to the Lion’s den, the Nigerian Army has taken its two-day military exercise to Kagara, headquarters of Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State where bandits and kidnappers have held sway in the last couple of months.

The “training exercise” will start today and end on Thursday. It will entail the use of heavy military equipment and live bullets.

A statement made available to newsmen in Minna by the Chief Press Secretary to the Niger State Governor, Mrs. Mary Noel Berje, said: “The two-day range classification exercise will see soldiers carryout life firing of heavy guns within the period.

“The general public is hereby informed that the military is carrying out a routine training exercise for some of its soldiers around Kagara town, headquarters of Rafi Local Government Area and its environs from July 21to 22,” adding that: “The range classification exercise will see soldiers carryout life firing of heavy guns within the period.

“There would be lots of noise from gun firing by the soldiers. There should be no public panic because it’s a routine military training exercise. The people around Kagara town and its environs are advised to disregard any attempt by mischief makers who may want to spread false rumour of an impending danger.”

A lot of banditry and kidnappings have taken place in Kagara and Tegina, with the most recent being the kidnap of 156 school girls and some of their teachers from the Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School Tegina.

Plateau: Two Days after Peace Pact, Farmers’ Crops Destroyed

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong has described as callous, criminal, inhuman and wicked, the reported willful destruction of farm crops in some communities in the state by yet to be apprehended criminals.

Lalong was reacting to a massive destruction wreaked on farmers’ crops in Kpachudu, Jebbu Miango, in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.

He said, “The recent case of such intentional decimation of farm crops in Kpachudu, Jebbu Miango in Bassa Local Government area is totally condemnable and unacceptable. From the reports, this is a carefully planned and executed act that is not only meant to provoke crisis, suspicion and instability in the area, but also render the victims poor and hungry.

“What these criminals fail to understand is that such actions will eventually leave the entire state and the country with food shortages where even the perpetrators will not escape.”

Directing security agencies to immediately swing into action by conducting a thorough investigation into this terrorist activity with a view to arresting those behind it and prosecuting them, the governor said government was working with security agencies to unravel those behind this barbaric act and deal with them accordingly.

The governor said he has also mandated the Plateau Peace Building Agency to visit the affected areas and ascertain the level of damage, as well as foster dialogue within the communities with a view to ensuring that such incidents are avoided.

He has also urged community associations, traditional rulers, youth groups and vigilante platforms all over the state to be more proactive by providing the security agencies with the intelligence to pre-empt and foil such plans as well as arresting the perpetrators who clearly are on a mission to return Plateau to the era of pain and agony.