The displaced villagers said that bandits have taken over their local government area and wreaking havoc on over a hundred communities.
Aggrieved residents from the eight wards in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State have said that they will find shelter in the Government House in Minna if the government fails to find a lasting solution to the banditry.
The displaced villagers said that bandits have taken over their local government area and wreaking havoc on over a hundred communities, the Punch reports.
The President of Lakpma Youth Assembly, Jibrin Allawa, cried out while addressing journalists on the plight of the people in Minna on Monday.
Allawa, said the bandits now made Allawa Games Reserve as their den, “because the government had ceded our lands to them.”
Allawa said, “Without prejudice to the above, the government appears incapacitated or unwilling to do the needful, as recent events suggest the government has ceded Allawa, Bassa and indeed the entire Lakpma area to bandits and terrorists.
“We shall mobilise our displaced and hopeless kinsmen to occupy and take shelter in government facilities within Minna if our plight is not addressed in earnest. Until our plights are addressed, we will boycott all civic responsibilities to the state.
“Lakpma area is now bandits and terrorists safe haven. For purpose of clarity, banditry around that axis began in 2015 in Allawa, this has festered and consumed the entire political axis with no succour in sight.
“It is incomprehensible that criminals have become landlords in a sovereign state with armed forces. Terrorists and bandits control our territory and decide what goes or stays, it is that pathetic.”
However, efforts to reach the state police spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun, proved abortive as several calls and a text message to his mobile phone were neither answered nor replied.
Meanwhile, four days after bandits invaded the Joint Security Task Force Camp, Allawa, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, killing soldiers and a policeman, the entire Allawa community has again been raided.
It was gathered that the gunmen, numbering about 100, reportedly arrived in the community around 2 am on Monday, plundered for over four hours and made away with cows and sheep.
It was also learnt that nobody was killed, but the people escaped in different directions into the bush as the gunmen freely moved from house to house and dispossessed the people of their belongings, including foodstuffs and other valuables.
According to a source, a pregnant woman, who ran into the bush for safety, was said to have given birth in the bush and the gunmen asked some women to attend to her while their looting went on.
“The entire Allawa community is now deserted as the people have fled to neighbouring Pandogari town where they are taking refuge in a primary school and other open spaces without food and water,” the source said.