Tinubu donates N50m to Victims of banditry in Niger State
A former Governor of Lagos State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, has donated the sum of N50 million to families of victims of the recent killings by bandits on communities in Niger State.
Tinubu, who made the donation on Thursday when he paid a visit to the state, decried the security situation in the country, saying it can be fixed with prayers and self-belief.
He asked Nigerians not to see the nation’s security challenges as a hopeless situation.
Tinubu said: “We share in your grief, I am here for the people of Niger State, hearing and reading of disasters, banditry and cattle rustling every day, just like what happened on Wednesday again.”
The State Governor Abubakar Bello endorsed the presidential aspirations of the National Leader of the APC ahead of the 2023 Presidential election as he received him at the Niger State Government House.
Governor Bello said; ”I am looking forward to seeing him lay the kind of foundation he laid for the massive transformation in Lagos for Nigeria.
“Lagos is a country within a country, and we saw the foundation you laid there, we are looking forward to seeing you replicate it for Nigeria.”
The Governor appreciated the former Governor for sympathising with the State government and people over the incessant banditry attacks.
On the security situation in the state, Governor Bello said no where is safe in the country and recounted how some villagers in Mashegu were murdered in cold blood by bandits while observing their early morning prayers in the Mosque.
He stated, “Where are we safe, in a place of worship, people can be killed. We are not dealing with human beings, but people whose heart has been cemented for evil, no amount of talking or dialogue can change them.
“Recently, they went to a village while they were observing their early morning prayers. They locked the door and started shooting indiscriminately, killing 18 and only those that forced the door open survived and few days later they did same in another village.”
The Governor appealed to the Nigerian Government to change its approach to the ongoing war against banditry and terrorism, calling for a technological driven warfare, rather than conventional approach.
He said; “We don’t fight conventional warfare. Let’s use technology even though it is expensive, the situation can be addressed that way
“The era of sending soldiers to the forest is over when we can deploy drones to monitor movement of bandits and hit target effortlessly.”
CHANNELS/Tv/Mercy Chukwudiebere
