According to Vanguard, on Tuesday, Governor Umaru Bago of Niger announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Minna, the state capital, in response to a recent surge in killings within the city.
The governor revealed that the curfew might soon apply to other parts of the state if the security situation doesn’t improve.
He pointed fingers at commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, and tricycles (Keke NAPEP), stating that these vehicles are commonly used by criminals to carry out their activities.
This announcement came on the same day that 11 individuals were reportedly killed in new herdsmen attacks in Benue State, further compounding the nation’s security woes.
While addressing a security stakeholders’ meeting at Government House in Minna, which included traditional leaders and security agency heads from the Minna Emirate, Governor Bago did not mince words about the deteriorating safety situation.
He promised to personally oversee security operations aimed at locating and removing criminals who have recently launched a series of stabbing attacks across Minna and other regions of Niger State.
The governor did not stop at declarations.
He issued strong warnings to community leaders—including district, village, and ward heads—insisting they must properly record and monitor individuals residing in their territories.
He emphasized that anyone found sheltering criminals would face harsh consequences.
“Any house found to be harbouring criminals will be demolished, while buildings where hard drugs are sold will as well be destroyed,” Governor Bago warned.
“The responsibility of any government is to secure the lives and properties of its citizens and I will not stay back and watch criminals continue to perpetrate evil in the state,” he said.
He called for collective action, stressing that security should not be left in the hands of government alone.
“However, fighting insecurity should be everybody’s business and that is why we should all join hands to identify the hideouts of these criminals and flush them out because they live within us. I am ready to lead the operation to their hideouts and bring them to book,” the governor vowed.
In a related development, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Plateau State also weighed in on the escalating violence.
The association called on the Federal Government to grant states the authority to establish their own police forces.
According to the NBA, state-level policing is critical to effectively responding to the persistent attacks and killings happening nationwide.
At the national level, political figures are also expressing concern.
Prince Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, criticized President Bola Tinubu for his handling of the country’s security situation.
He accused the president of failing to treat governance with the seriousness it requires.
Meanwhile, in Benue State, fresh reports of deadly herdsmen attacks continue to emerge.
During a meeting at the Benue Government House in Makurdi with the National Security Adviser (NSA) and other key stakeholders, the Ter Ukum, His Royal Highness Iyorkaa Kaave, spoke about the latest violence in his domain.
He recounted a brutal early-morning assault on the Afia community, stating, “The armed herdsmen attacked Afia in the early hours of today (yesterday) and 11 bodies have been recovered from that community so far and we are still searching.”
In an emotional appeal, he added, “Please tell President Tinubu that we will not live with murderers as herdsmen. These are not the herdsmen we used to know that lived peacefully with us in the past.”
The wave of violence, rising public frustration, and calls for decentralized security highlight the deepening crisis Nigeria faces as communities reel from persistent bloodshed.
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