Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State has ruled out any possibility of negotiating with bandits or paying ransom for kidnapped victims, insisting that residents must be ready to defend themselves against ongoing attacks.
The governor made the declaration during a visit to Rijau and Magama Local Government Areas, where several communities were recently attacked by armed groups operating around Kontagora.
“The state has reached a point where people must stand up and defend themselves because paying ransom will only make kidnapping a business,” Bago said. “I will not negotiate with bandits. I will not pay ransom. Once we start paying, they will keep coming back. We are in a state of war that requires collective resistance.”
He described the repeated assaults on villages and the displacement of residents as “embarrassing and unacceptable”, saying the government was taking decisive measures to restore peace.
Bago announced plans to recruit and train 10,000 new members of the state’s Joint Task Force (JTF) to strengthen local security and support law enforcement agencies in tackling banditry.
In a related development, the governor has declared a total ban on all mining activities in Zone C of the state, which includes eight local government areas – Magama, Kontagora, Rijau, Wushishi, Mariga, Borgu, Mashegu, and Agwara.
According to a statement from his Special Adviser on Print Media, Aisha Wakaso, the decision was taken after intelligence reports linked illegal mining to rising insecurity in the region.
“It is suspicious that miners can move freely in the forests while residents are repeatedly attacked,” the governor said. “I have directed the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to arrest anyone caught engaging in mining activities.”
Bago reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to protecting lives and property, urging communities to unite against what he described as “a common enemy threatening their survival.”