Insecurity: Bandits abduct 17 in Niger

Gunmen, in two separate attacks Tuesday, abducted 17 residents from Garam town and Zhibi community both in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State.

Garam, where 14 people were abducted is located along the Sabon-Wuse-Bwari road, while Zhibi, where three others were also kidnapped is a community sharing boundaries Dei-Dei town, which is under Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

A commander of the vigilante group in Garam, Dantani Daniel, said the bandits struck Sabon-Unguwa area of the community around 1am.

“They took their victims from different houses and left the community within less than an hour,” Daniel added. 

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A resident said the assailants attacked the residence of a serving policeman residing in the community and shot at him.

“He was rushed to the Kubwa General Hospital where he is responding to the treatment,” he added.

President Tinubu summons service chiefs

President Bola Tinubu yesterday summoned service chiefs to an emergency meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, over the deteriorating security across the states of the federation, including the FCT.

The meeting was attended by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogala; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar; the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and heads of other security agencies.

Although the outcome of the meeting was not disclosed to journalists, it was learnt that it was convened to review the current security situation in parts of Nigeria.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu, while receiving a delegation of Jam’iyyatu Ansaridden at the State House yesterday described the spate of kidnappings and bandit attacks as disturbing, ungodly and sinister.

He noted that education is the antidote to the troubles agitating the nation, stressing that “There is no weapon against poverty that is as potent as learning.” 

“We are dedicated to building a lasting peace with a focus on the comprehensive education of our children. We will get our teachers and their owners involved in an education process that will be relevant to the future of this country. It is important. Knowledge brought me here with your prayers and your support. Without knowledge, there is nothing to generate hope for mankind,” he said.

He said it was important to promote updated knowledge through existing Islamic learning institutions for youths in Northern Nigeria to speed up development in the region, in Nigeria and throughout Africa.

In his remarks, the Jam’iyyatu Ansaridden leader, Sheikh Muhammad Lamine Niass, asked the president to continue implementing his reform initiatives.

Wike holds security council meeting

Earlier yesterday, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike had met with the chairmen of the six area councils in the Territory, and security agencies over the frequent attacks on residents. 

He asked the residents not to panic, assuring that measures would be taken to resolve the security challenge.

“All of us are aware of the security situation in FCT, particularly in Bwari and some other areas where we have witnessed security challenges.

“We are not sleeping; the security agencies are not sleeping, and we provide every support that they require to allay the fears of the residents,” he said.

The minister frowned at constant travels by the area council chairmen in the wake of the security challenges in the FCT communities.

 “This time around, we’ll not be happy, where area council chairmen will abdicate their responsibility and travel out.

 “We’ve gotten reports that the council chairmen travel anytime, and if anything happens, they will not call anybody’s name, but the FCT minister’s.

FG seeks France’s help against kidnappers, terrorists

The Federal Government Tuesday sought the support of the French government on security.

The Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, at a closed-door meeting with members of French Parliament and Defence Commission, led by Gassilloud Thomas, appealed to France for help in the area of “defence cooperation”.

According to a statement by the spokesman of the ministry, Henshaw Ogubike, the minister said the relationship between Nigeria and France needed to be strengthened in the area of military equipment and training of Nigeria’s military personnel.

“I believe the French Government can support Nigeria with equipment to fight insecurity and insurgency. You’re aware Nigeria has a huge population with great economic potentials, and this can help the economies to stabilize,” Ogubike quoted the minister as saying.

The statement quoted Thomas as saying that the French Government will support Nigeria as requested.

Security agents have gone to sleep -FCT Senator Kingibe

The senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, Tuesday decried the Territory’s current security situation, saying “It’s as if our security agencies have gone to sleep. It surely beggars belief that this should be happening in the Federal Capital and is clearly unacceptable to me and Nigerians in general”. 

She was reacting to the recent killing of Nabiha Al-Kadriya, a 400-level Biological Sciences student of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and the continued stay of her five sisters in captivity.

She said that the murder of Nabeeha and those of many others killed in similar and other situations were a blight on the national conscience and a slap on the face of government, whose primary responsibility is to secure lives and properties.

Let your VP take charge of security, Obi tells Tinubu

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, Tuesday said Vice President Kashim Shettima should take charge of security, while President Tinubu should handle the economy as promised.

Obi said this in a post on his X handle, saying terror attacks, banditry, kidnappings and violence had continued to rage in the country.

He said the recent killings of abducted young girls in Abuja made the situation more depressing.

 “At the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association held in Lagos in August 2022, the then vice-presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, categorically stated that if APC was elected, he as Vice President would be in charge of security, while the president, as an expert in economy, would handle the economy.

“Nigerians therefore now implore them to fulfil their campaign promises. Even if they do not achieve 100% results, we want to see 100% effort,” Obi said.