Insurgency: Niger Communities Record Relative Peace
Laleye Dipo in Minna
Though relative peace has returned to communities in Shiroro and Munya Local Government Areas in Niger State, the Concerned Shiroro Youths Association, a non-governmental organization, has called for the deployment of the military personnel to the areas to carry out attacks on insurgents still hibernating in the local government areas.
This is even as the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), has also applauded the situation.
A member of the association, Mr. Yussuf Abubakar Kokki, told THISDAY in a telephone interview that communities in the local government areas have witnessed relative peace in the past three weeks.
Kokki attributed the situation to the rains, which has increased the volume of water in the rivers dissecting the local governments from Kaduna State.
In addition, Kokki said that the intervention by the military has made the insurgents to go into hiding “for the time being.
“With the present situation our people have been able to go to their farms unmolested.
“There has been no significant attack in any of our villages in recent times,” Kokki declared.
He, however, said that the peace being witnessed may be temporary because the terrorists could return to cause havoc when the river level subsides.
Kokki, therefore, urged the military to take the offensive to the terrorists in their camps, adding that “we should not always wait for them to attack before we counter them.”
Speaking in a similar vein, the Director General of the NSEMA, Mr. Ibrahim Ahmed Inga, said the relative peace could be attributed to the weather condition which is not favourable for the insurgents to carry out their nefarious activities.
Inga said the areas witnessed similar lull in bandits attacks “about this time last year,” adding that because of the rains the terrorists who are not swimmers could not penetrate to the Niger communities.
He said that the situation “is welcomed because it will make the people to be engaged on their farms.”
