***Orders Shoot-on-Sight for Armed Thugs, Demolition of Criminal Hideouts
Niger State Governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago, has issued a stern warning and rolled out drastic security measures to tackle the rising wave of thuggery and criminality in Minna, the state capital.
Following an emergency expanded security meeting held at the Government House on Tuesday, the governor announced a nighttime ban on the operation of commercial motorcycles and tricycles from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., effective immediately.
In a bold move, Governor Bago also authorized security operatives to shoot on sight any thug found armed, while directing the State Urban Development Board to demolish any house harboring criminals. The landlords of such buildings, he said, will be arrested and prosecuted.
“Niger State is not a haven for criminals or for useless people,” the governor declared. “If you can’t control your children, the government will.”
Governor Bago ordered a statewide crackdown on criminal hideouts and hard drug distribution centers, insisting that any building linked to drug sales will be razed down and its owners held accountable.
He specifically warned district, village, and ward heads to properly document residents and visitors in their domains, stating that ignorance will not be an excuse in the fight against crime.
“An attempt to harass security personnel will be treated as an attack on the government itself,” he warned.
The latest wave of violence in Minna—particularly among youth gangs and street thugs—has left over 30 people dead in the last four months. The most recent was the killing of a commercial bank driver, Amore Mohammed, who was stabbed to death Sunday night by suspected hoodlums at Fadipe area of Minna.
The governor’s emergency meeting was attended by all heads of security agencies in the state, traditional rulers from the Minna Emirate Council, key stakeholders, and members of the local vigilante groups.
Governor Bago emphasized that the safety of lives and property remains the top priority of his administration, and vowed to wield the full force of the law against anyone undermining peace and order in the state.
