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Cattle rustling: Niger police commences air surveillance
Olabode Adaramola
The Police in Niger state have deployed helicopters in the renewed offensive against cattle rustlers, who have staged a comeback into the state through the border forests with Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto and Kaduna state.
The command said the deployment was at the instance of the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Idris, who it said, expressed concerns over the illegal activities of the bandits. In parts of the state.
The Image Maker of the Command, DSP Bala Elkana told journalists yesterday that the initiative would give air backing to the ground troops earlier deployed by the command to trouble spots across the state.
“The duty of the police aircraft is to embark on air surveillance in the affected forests where the hoodlums are hiding in large numbers with the stolen animals to enable the troops to move in,” he explained.
He said the forests include, Alawa, Birinin Gwari Kamuku and the game reserves on the border with the affected states.
National Wire also learnt that villagers who were displaced by the activities of the rustlers are gradually returning to their communities following heavy police presence in troubled areas.
Meanwhile, the Director General of Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Ahmed Ibrahim Inga, who disclosed this while presenting relief materials to displaced persons in Pandogari town, Rafi local government area said the deployment of security personal has built confidence in the people of the crisis prone areas.
Items donated by the NSEMA boss on behalf of the state government were rice, maize, salt, Sugar, groundnut oil, blankets, mats among other household items.
