Terrorism: Niger Worse Hit Than Borno – Bago

Niger State governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has said the devastation caused by terrorism in the state is worse than that of Borno State.

He, therefore, called for concerted measures to mitigate the situation.

Bago spoke yesterday to a delegation from the Victims Support Fund (VSF) at the Government House, Minna, the state capital.

The governor said the state is one of the worst hit states by terrorism.

He expressed concern over the huge negative impact of the activities of terrorists in the state, declaring that “ the situation could be worse than that of Borno State.”

Bago attributed the cause to the size of the state, arable land, bodies of water and illegal mining activities in the state.

While appreciating the VSF for coming to the aid of those affected by the nefarious activities of terrorists, he also called on the federal government, international development partners and all meaningful Nigerians for more support.

 The executive director of VSF, Prof Nana Tanko said they were in the state to complement state government efforts in the area of welfare for victims of terrorism.

She said after assessing the situation in the state, three local government areas were identified for intervention which include Shiroro, Lapai and Kontagora.

Nana who said the organisation noticed shortage in food supply in the three local government areas disclosed that of 3,000 households, 1,000 from each of the selected local governments would benefit from the intervention.

She said the organisation would further rebuild the livelihood of the people by providing support to skilled entrepreneurs, fertiliser and farm inputs to farmers to aid agricultural activities in the state.

Food items to be distributed are 10kg of rice, beans, vegetable oil, salt, and sugar.