Bandits kidnap 20 in Niger

No fewer than 20 passengers in five vehicles have been reportedly kidnapped on the Mariga-Kontagora road in Niger State.

The Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, who also represents Mariga constituency, Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, confirmed the development in an interview with journalists in Minna yesterday.

He said the incident happened on Thursday when bandits blocked the Mariga-Kontagora road between Baban-Lamba and Beri.

The Speaker disclosed this while reacting to the military rebuttal that bandits were not on its training ground in Kontagora Local Government Area of the state, which also extends to Mariga.

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Sarkin-Daji said families of the victims previously kidnapped had taken ransom to bandits several times in the forest, which was part of the military ground.

He said the victims, who were released after ransom payments, also told their families that they were kept in a forest not far from the Kontagora Army Barracks.

The Speaker said the passengers that were kidnapped on Thursday on the Mariga-Kontagora road were also moved to the same forest, calling on the military to get the right information and flush out the bandits from the forest.

“As members representing our people, we get feedback from our constituents of their plights. So, before we present anything on the floor of the House, we have done our investigation very well.

“It is not as if we are underrating the military capacity to fight bandits and terrorists, but it is not right to just dismiss the complaints of our people. We want the federal government and concerned authorities to know their plights,” he said.

 When contacted, the spokesperson of the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun promised to get details and revert but could not do as of the time of filing this report.