***Urges Security Agencies to live up to their responsibilities by combing the Forests
CHAIRMAN, Senate Services Committee, Senator Sani Musa, APC, Niger East has again condemned in very strong terms, the heightening insecurity in his constituency in Niger State.
Senator Musa has also renewed his call on the security agencies to live up to their responsibilities by combing the forests in order to free those detained there, even as he also appreciated the efforts of security agencies.Musa who is aspiring for a Presiding Office ahead of the inauguration of the 10th Senate, June 13th, specifically condemned the cold-blooded murder of innocent villagers in Paikoro, Shiroro and Rafi local governments in the constituency, stressing that not less than 20 lives have been lost to bandits attacks while between 50 and 70 villagers have been kidnapped and taken into hiding by their kidnappers who also destroyed their houses and made away with valuable items including money.
In a statement yesterday, he also lamented that women and girls are being raped by their kidnappers as he disclosed that the villages mostly affected are Kwagana, and Kaffinkoro wards in Paikoro local government area, Sabo Kabula in Munya local government area and Pandogari ward in Rafi LGA.
According to Senator Musa, the insecurity in the senatorial district has attained an alarming proportion in the last few weeks, a development that means that the bandits are testing the will and capacities of the Federal and Niger State governments to secure the lives and property of Nigerians, which he believed the President Bola Tinubu’s administration will deal with the criminals ruthlessly in the coming days.
He noted that the saddest aspect of the saga is that the victims are being subjected to inhuman treatments with some chained together to forstal their escape from their captors.
The Senator said that the gunmen are demanding various forms of ransom ranging from N1.5m to N4m from the beleaguered families of their victims at times collecting these huge sums of money and failing to release their captives.
He said, “They are being kept under the rain and sun” Sani Musa declared before calling on the federal government to immediately take steps to rescue those in the custody of the gunmen so that they can begin to live normal lives especially now that “we are in the rainy season when those kidnapped are supposed to be on their farms doing what they know how best to do to earn a livelihood”.He commiserated with the families of the captives assuring that ” very soon their loved ones will regain their freedom”