Niger Gov. Umar considers dialogue with bandits after meeting Tinubu

Following the visit with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the governor of Niger, Umar Muhammed Bago, said the government is thinking about engaging in dialogue with terrorists and bandits in the state.

Following the meeting with Tinubu, Bago spoke with reporters and bemoaned the level of insecurity in Niger State.

“We don’t want any major military activities in Niger, and we also don’t want the grazers to leave our state because of business and investment,” Bago said.

But if we can’t reach that point in the conversation, we’ll probably have to use all of our military might.

The recent attacks and killings of residents by bandits and terrorists in Niger State have made headlines.

According to Bago, farmers are the most severely affected because many of them have given up their farms out of fear of attack.

He discussed the damaging effects that banditry, cattle rustling, illegal mining, and other criminal activity have had on state residents.

“Niger State is being referred to as the food basket of the nation, largely due to our largest land mass in the nation, which is also suitable for agriculture and is being used by the government and a significant portion of the population,” he said.

“But because of the rising security concerns, our population is constantly at the mercy of bandits and other criminals.

A Nigerian Air Force helicopter crashed in the state on Monday, and military personnel were killed by bandits in an ambush in the Shiroro region of Niger.