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In Niger State, around 20 passengers in five vehicles have been abducted by bandits along the Maiga-Kontagora road.
The Mariga Constituency’s representative, Barrister Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, told reporters that the bandits had blocked the Mariga-Kontagora road between Baban-Lamba and Beri on Thursday.
In response, Sarkin-Daji cited a military statement that denied that bandits were using its training grounds in Kontagora LGA, which also include Mariga LGA.
The Speaker claimed that families of victims who had already been abducted had repeatedly paid ransom to bandits in a bushy ,forested areas that was purportedly on military property.
The family of the released victims were also informed that they were detained in a woodland close to the Kontagora Army Barracks.
“The passengers kidnapped on Thursday on the Mariga-Kontagora road were also taken to the same forest,” the Speaker said, urging the military to act on accurate information and clear the bandits from the area.
Sarkin-Daji underlined that they thoroughly research these topics before bringing them before the Assembly because, in their capacity as representatives, they frequently receive input from their people regarding their difficulties.
He explained that although they do not downplay the military’s ability to fight robbers, it is contemptuous to disregard residents grievances.
As local people allege that the military training site has turned into a safe haven for bandits who emerge from the forest to carry out attacks, he encouraged the federal government and authorities to address these issues.
Even those who were freed following ransom payments, he noted, claimed to have been detained within sight of the Kontagora Army Barracks.
Instead of discounting House members’ comments, the Speaker stated the military should check the victims’ accounts and deal with the problem.
He claimed that on Thursday, October 31, bandits stopped the route between Baban-Lamba and Beri, abducting more than 20 people and relocating them to the same jungle, even though the military had dismissed the assertions of one Assembly member on Wednesday.
He emphasised that the military is meant to safeguard the populace and called on them to take action and remove the criminals from the region. In order for the federal government and all parties involved to comprehend the predicament of their people, the Speaker reaffirmed their commitment to keep spreading awareness.
