By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Minna)
Niger state government has debunked reports on social media claiming that some civilians were being killed during the ongoing ground and airstrikes by the joint security forces in some Shiroro Local Government Area communities.
The State Commissioner for Local Government/Chieftaincy Affairs and Internal Security, Niger state, Mr. Emmanuel Umar, made the declaration in reaction to reports of mistaken attacks on civilians in the area.
The commissioner in a statement said, “The attention of Niger state government has been drawn to a report making the rounds on social media and other media platforms suggesting that some civilians were killed at Kurebe in Shiroro Local Government Area as a result of the ongoing Air and ground operations by the military and other security agencies”.
“To the best knowledge of the state government, there are no civilians resident in the affected areas for some time now due to the infiltration and activities of the terrorists which forced the locals to seek shelter as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in other parts of the state”.
While also commending ongoing intensified military operations in neighboring states and some local government areas of Niger state including Shiroro and Munya, Umar said the onslaught is aimed at neutralizing armed bandits/and terrorists in the affected areas.
Intensified efforts of the joint security operations in the security-prone areas, the commissioner said, is yielding desired results as the state government is happy about the developments as many of the criminals have already been eliminated.
The joint efforts by the Niger state government in conjunction with security agencies also repelled armed bandits that tried to overrun Shiroro and Munya Local Government Areas and rescued farmers abducted from their farms, including women.
While the State Government appreciates the victories recorded during these operations, the statement says it looks forward to sustained operations toward the total eradication of armed bandits from the state.
“These efforts by the joint security forces will no doubt restore confidence in the affected communities within the areas to enable them to return back to their farms and ancestral homes”, the Commissioner further pointed out. NNL.
