Groups laments shutting of its unit in Niger community

The Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Niger State Command, has expressed worry over shutting down of its unit in Iwa community of Gurara Local Government Area of the state.

  The state’s Deputy Commandant of the group, Sulaiman Badaru, while speaking to North Central Trust, alleged that the District Head of Iwa, Alhaji Dikko Ahmed, led a rival vigilante group known as Suleja Emirate Vigilante to the area last Friday where they broke into the office, ransacked available items and put it under lock.

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Badaru said the unit, commissioned a week before the incident, was out of the group’s resolution to provide security to the community, going by the state of insecurity in some neighbouring villages where two local government areas were reportedly taken over by the Boko Haram insurgents.

He said  about one million naira was kept in the office by some POS operators, as no banking services in the following day, was  missing.

He maintained that VGN is a registered national security outfit that operates in every part of the country wondering why the Iwa community should be denied its service.

North Central Trust has obtained a copy of letter bearing the signature of secretary to the Suleja emirate, who endorsed the operation and also commended the District Head for taking the action. Efforts to speak to the emirate council’s secretary, Malam Shuaibu Gani was however not successful, as he didn’t not respond to the phone calls made to him by our reporter.

Reacting, the Police Area Commander in Suleja,  ACP Sani Badarawa, who confirmed the development, added that effort was being made to mediate between the two rival security outfits.