September 08, (THEWILL) – It sounded like the unbelievable story of the eight corps members who spent their entire service year in the den of kidnappers and were released in batches until the last week of the service year (August 2024). That was when the last victim was released. And an obviously relieved Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Brigadier-General Y. D Ahmed announced that the corps members would be awarded their certificates of service as there was no need for them to repeat the one-year scheme!
Last week in a worst example of the preceding incident, Secretary of the Coalition of Shiroro Associations in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, Saidu Salihu, lamented “the increasing control of terrorists and bandits in their communities, where locals are reportedly being enslaved to work in farms for the criminals.”
What is more, Salihu disclosed, military personnel providing security in the local government area had been withdrawn, thereby exposing the people to the activities of the terrorists. Many of them, who are farmers, have fled their homes and the few who dared to brave the odds are forced to pay taxes to the terrorists before they can be allowed to go to their farms.
He disclosed that a terrorist commander collected over 20 bags of soybeans from farms in Allawa and neighbouring communities this year.
Allawa, was in fact the security outpost of the soldiers who once secured the community until their withdrawal three months ago. The soldiers’ withdrawal, Salihu stated, has led to “a surge in terrorist and bandit activities, forcing residents to collaborate with these groups for survival.”
“The terrorists are growing stronger and without military intervention, the communities are at risk of becoming a terrorist stronghold,” he said.
Other leaders of the community like Babangida Kudodo, President of the Lakpma Youth Forum, and Abdullah Suleiman Erena painted a horrible picture of the situation in the local government area, which poses a grave danger to life and property.
According to Kododo, some informants who were arrested and later released have become threats to the communities, further exacerbating the problem.
“The Lakpma axis, comprising eight political wards, is at risk of becoming a stronghold for various terrorist groups, including Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Ansaru,”Erena said.
Given that neither the Niger State Government nor the military high command had reacted to the story more than a week after these community leaders had a meeting with journalists, it is safe to say that the story is not only worrisome but utterly unfortunate. Niger State has been one of the worst terrorist enclaves in the country. At one point, over four local government areas were overrun by terrorists, with Shiroro the worst hit.
Whatever the reason for the withdrawal of soldiers from the local government area may be, it is clear from the lamentations of the community leaders that the communities therein are in clear danger and some drastic measures need to be taken to restore hope and sanity. Insecurity in the communities has worsened.
We call on the state government to quickly mobilise security for the area. It should liaise with the central government and its security agencies to do the needful. As a first step, assistance should be given to vigilante groups, which the community leaders said were available.
The appeal for compensation for displaced persons who have lost life and property should also be quickly addressed by both the federal and state government, which are currently busy distributing palliatives to vulnerable citizens.
For a local government area that has been under attack from different terrorist groups, from Boko Haram, Ansaru and bandits, the least the government can do is to install a permanent security post there. The story that a military outpost was removed three weeks ago paints a bad picture for the war against insecurity.
After all, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, is just a stone’s throw from the terror-hit local governments in Niger State.
