By Aideloje Ojo
Minna
Niger state Governor, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has explained that his administration evacuated some Fulani herdsmen who recently relocated to Lapai local government area because the herdsmen did not have anyone to guarantee that their stay in the area would not breed crisis.
Aliyu said the proactive posture of the government was to further stabilise the prevailing peace in the state and forestall a situation where insurgents would hide under the guise of being herdsmen to launch attacks on the people.
He made the explanation in Kontagora on Friday at the inauguration of the Kontagora road and street light projects and 10 kilometres of road constructed in the 11 wards of the local government area.
“I will prefer to be accused of dislodging people than to be counting corpses on the roads,” Aliyu said, before asking Nigerians to be extra vigilant in their various locations to check the excesses of those causing mayhem.
He said the sophistication of the weapons used by insurgents and the methodology being adopted had shown that Fulani herdsmen were not behind “these dastardly acts,” adding that a colleague governor recently told him that some of those described as herdsmen who attacked some communities in his state were speaking French.
He blamed the porous borders of the country for creating room for people of dubious character to come into the country.
“Our borders are porous we must pay attention to the security of our neighborhoods and our towns.”
He commended the security agencies in the state for being vigilant, saying that they had contributed immensely to the peace in the state.
Before inaugurating the projects the Sarkin Sudan of Kontagora, Alhaji Saidu Namaska, assured the governor that the emirate would be peaceful, saying “we don’t have problem in Kontagora,” but prayed for restoration of peace in other parts of the country where insurgents had been holding sway.
