From John Adams, Minna
Despite the security situation in the state, the Niger state government has said that it has no immediate plan to engage youths in the fight against armed Banditry and other criminal elements in the state.
The government described as baseless and untrue reports in some social media that the state government has concluded plans to recruit about 4,000 youths across the 25 local government areas of the state to fight the security challenge in the state.
The Commissioner for local government, community development and Chieftaincy affairs, Mallam Abdulmalik Sarkin Daji in a statement in Minna dismissed as false the report which is trending in some social media alleging that the state has concluded plans to recruit about 4,000 youths to fight insecurity in the state.
“That is fake news and imagination of the reporter. The state government has no any immediate plan to engage our youths to fight the insecurity in the state”.
The commissioner Who dissociated himself from the said publication which he said was the creation of the reporter, pointed out that he has not in any forum make any public statement to that effect, wondering where the reporter got his facts from.
Sarkin Daji though admitted that it is a known fact that the state is faced with serious security challenges, occasioned by the activities of the armed bandits, the government has no any immediate plan to engage the youths in the fight against armed bandits.
According to Sarkin Daji, while the state government welcomes the idea of the state policing to compliment the efforts of our security agencies who have remained committed to the fight against armed bandits and other criminal elements across the state, the government has not approved the engagement of youths to fight insecurity.
The commissioner who expressed the commitment of the government to end the activities of the armed bandits in the state, disclosed that over 2,000 local vigilantes have being mobilized across the state to compliment the efforts of the security joint TaskForce combating armed Banditry in the state.
He therefore urged the public to disregards the said publication, stressing that the state government will continue to give the necessary support to security agencies in the state to enable them win the war against armed bandits and form of criminalities in the state.
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