Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State has called for the deployment of more brigades and battalions in the state to tackle insecurity.
Bello made the call when officials of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) led by its Director General, Prof Ayo Omotayo, visited him at the Government House Minna, the state capital.
He said despite the collaborative efforts of the government with the security agencies in addressing insecurity, the challenge had become unabated.
“For states like Niger, we need to have more brigades and battalions, at the same time there should be military training in most of these forests and ungoverned spaces. When you create activities, it becomes difficult for criminal elements and bandits to take over communities.” Bello said.
On the issue of energy, the governor said the choice for Niger State was in order considering three hydroelectric dams in the state with the fourth one about to be commissioned soon.
Earlier, the NIPSS DG explained that they were in the state on a familiarization visit ahead of this year’s study with the theme, “Industrialization, Energy, Security and Climate Change,” adding that Niger was among the seven states to be used as a case study in the areas of energy and security.
He noted that Niger State was critical to their study because of its highest land mass in Nigeria with a lot of ungoverned spaces and four dams situated in the state.
