By Esther Yakubu
The new General Officer Commanding 1 Mechanized Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Major General Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi on Wednesday expressed a firm resolve to clear the Niger state of Banditry and other criminal elements.
Ali-Keffi spoke at a meeting with the Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello and other stakeholders in the state over the security situation in the state.
The meeting in government which had in attendance, all the heads of Military formations in the state, members of the state Executive Council, some local government chairmen and village heads, lasted for over three hours.
At end of the deliberations, the GOC told anxious newsmen in an interview that he was in the state to meet with the government and other relevant stakeholders in the security business with a view to come up with a holistic approach to tackle the security challenges in the state occasioned the activities of the armed bandits and other criminal elements.
Maj. Gen. Ali-Keffi acknowledged that though it is a tough time for the Military due to the activities of the bandits, the Army will come up with a well organized strategies to deal with the situation in no distance time.
He assured that the military will do what is required of them to put the security situation under control, and to achieve this, the military needs the cooperation and support of everyone in the area of information gathering since according to him the bandits are not spirits.
Earlier the state Governor Abubakar Sani Bello expressed confidence that with the renewed vigor and commitment by the federal government and the security agencies, the activities of armed bandits will soon be brought under control “and peace returned to towns and villages under siege from bandits”.
According to him “we are impressed with the new development and the response of the federal government in addressing the Security challenges in Niger State.
It is a joint effort, the state government will do its part and the federal government will do its part also.
“The new GOC and I have met and discussed. He has assured that they will do whatever they can to put the situation under control”.
