Niger State Governor, Alhaji Mohammadu Umaru Bago, has raised the alarm that, if the rate at which terrorists were attacking the state was not checked, Niger could soon be worse than Borno State, otherwise known as the epicenter of terrorists attacks in the North Eastern part of Nigeria.
Bago, made the remarks in Minna, on Thursday, when he received a delegation from the Victims Support Fund (VSF) led by its Executive Director, Professor Nana Tanko.
The governor maintained that, “Presently Niger State is among the worse hit by terrorists” and therefore called for support from both local and international organisations to check the trend.
He expressed concern at the “huge negative impact of the activities of terrorists in the state,” insisting that, “the situation could be worse than that of Borno State” before blaming the condition on “the size of the state, arable land, bodies of water and illegal mining activities in the state.”
Bago appreciated the VSF for coming to the aid of those affected by the nefarious activities of terrorists in the state, but called on the federal government, international development partners and other well-meaning Nigerians for more support to the victims.
In her remarks, leader of the delegation, Professor Tanko, said they were in the state to complement government’s efforts in the area of the welfare for victims of terrorism, pointing out that after assessing the situation in the state, three local government areas were identified for intervention, which include Shiroro, Lapai and Kontagora.
She disclosed that the organisation discovered shortage of food supply in the three local governments and would therefore give 1,000 households from each of them some food items.
In addition, she said the organisation would further rebuild the livelihood of the people by providing supports to them to be gainfully employed.
Laleye Dipo
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