Niger Spends N5bn On Security In 2 years – SSG

Olabode  Adaramola

Niger State Goververnmrnt  said on Tuesday that it has spent not less than N65billions on logistics, and equipment to the security agencies in the state in the past two years including  other spendings on the Internally Displaced Persons affected by flood disasters and other natural occurences in parts of the state

The Secretary to the State Government Niger Government( SSG) Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Metane stated this during a Press briefing with the newsmen in his office at the Government House Minna, adding that government  expended the  huge sums of money that was more than about  N5 billion in the past two years on general security in the state.

Matane noted that the expenditure was to complement the efforts of  security agencies in the state in the ongoing war  against armed banditry, kidnappings cattle rustling and other sundary criminal activities across the three senatorial districts  of the state, bedevilled by general insecurity of lives and properties.

He said the state also spent N605 million on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) following the security challenges and flooding in the state.

The SSG said that the government procured  more than 100 Hilux Vans fitted with communication gadgets which it distributed to the security agencies  in the period under review.

He said, “we have also refurbished 77 Hilux police patrol vans along with communication gadgets and five Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) for the ongoing fight against banditry and kidnapping”, adding that we have constantly been paying security personnel allowances deployed to fight criminal elements.

“We have devised new security strategies to fight banditry, Kidnappings, cattle rustling and other criminal elements in the state,’’ Matane said.

He said that government would continue to support the security personnel to rid the state of criminal elements.

“We would not relent in the effort to protect the lives and properties of our people through well-coordinated approaches towards tackling any form of insecurity.

“We will enhance community policing to enable the resident volunteer information that could aid in apprehending miscreants,’’ he said

Matane said that the security personnel had been embarking on “operation show of force’’ to demonstrate their readiness to deal with any form of security threats.

The SSG however appealed to the people of the state  to continue to support the security personnel with useful information on miscreants in their midst.