Four NSCDC personnel, six others killed in explosions, attacks in Niger State

Four officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have been killed by suspected Boko Haram terrorists at Galadiman Kogo in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

The terrorists also killed six residents of the town during an earlier night raid on Sunday.

The spokesperson of NSCDC, Olusola Odumosu, confirmed the death of the officials on Monday from the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

“A bomb explosion has rocked an operational vehicle of the Niger State Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, killing four personnel instantly,” Mr Odumosu said.

“The driver of the vehicle sustained very serious injuries during the blast and had been rushed to the hospital where he is currently battling for his life.

“The explosion occured along Galadiman Kogo axis in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State at the early hours of Monday morning, involving some officers and men of NSCDC Niger Command attached to Shiroro HYDRO Power Station, Shiroro, Niger State.

Mr Odumosu said the officials were “on a routine patrol in the early hours of Monday morning when their patrol vehicle stepped on a buried land mine which exploded immediately killing all occupants except the driver who is currently in a very critical condition.”

He identified the deceased personnel as: ASC I Mohammed Ibrahim; ASC II Cheche Ahmed; IC Yunusa Mahmam; and CAI BALA Abdullahi.

The driver identified as “Inspector Bala Adamu is currently in the hospital receiving treatment,” the official said.

“The Commandant General of NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, has commiserated with families of the deceased officers and men who paid the supreme price in service to the nation and reassured residents of Niger of the Corp’s resolve and commitment to the security of lives and property of Nigerians without deterrence, the statement said.

Also the Niger State Government, while commiserating with the entire people of Shiroro local government area, particularly the affected communities, said Governor Abubakar Bello would take every necessary step to assuage the sufferings of the affected people by providing humanitarian interventions.

Mary Noel-Berje, the media aide to the governor, said the Mr Bello is “saddened by the ugly news emanating from Galadima Kogo, barely three weeks after similar attacks, in which many lives and properties were lost as well as many residents displaced.”

“As Government, we are determined not to hands up to these dare-devil terrorists. Niger State is actively supporting the federal government led efforts to overcome the menace of these heartless terrorists,” Mrs Noel-Berje said in a statement.

“These people have come under several attacks for no fault of theirs, their lifestyle have been forced to change. I feel and share in their pains. I will not rest until their lifestyle return to normal”, she said, quoting the governor.

The statement added that the governor also “condoled with the security agencies for the loss of some of their personnel, sympathized with their family members, stressing that their sacrifices will not go in vain even as he pledged his unalloyed as well as continued support to them within the available resources so as to win the war against the terrorists.

“The governor prayed God to grant quick recovery to those injured and repose of the souls of those killed,” the statement said.

Six civilian casualties – Residents

The Co-convener of Concerned Shiroro Youth, Abubakar Yusuf-Kokki, told PREMIUM TIMES that six other residents were killed by the marauding terrorists earlier on Sunday in Galadima Kogo.

Mr Yusuf-Kokki said the use of IEDs by terrorists in the area is strange and has created panic among the residents.

“Concerns are rife among residents of the war-torn areas about the ugly development bearing in mind the more devastating dimension this menace have taken.

“Explosions of this magnitude are new and unusual which is attributable to the kid gloves this war is being prosecuted with by Government,” Mr Yusuf-Kokki said

Earlier warning

The Niger State Government had in November warned that a breakaway group of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram terrorists was establishing camps in the state.

The Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Matane, raised the alarn at a press conference.

Mr Matane said armed bandits were aligning with insurgents to indoctrinate residents in some communities in Shiroro Local Government Area.

“The group has been preaching a strict Islamic ideology and banning women from going to conventional schools,” he said.

The official identified some of the communities visited by the armed groups as Shukuba, Koki, Kusare, and Madaka.

Mr Matane said the group was assuring residents of protection but asked them to reject western education as well as government directives.

“These people often go to communities to communicate with them and assure them that they will not harm them, and join them during Friday congregational prayer to preach to them on the need to forsake western education and embark on civil disobedience,”

“They also made a video claiming that they are not kidnappers, but engaging in religious activities. They have assured us (Government) that they are ‘God sent’ to establish an Islamic caliphate. Despite their rapprochement, we are not negotiating with them,” Mr Matane said.

Specifically, Mr Matane said “ISWAP is trying to establish a camp at National Park at Babana in Borgu Local government Area of the State.”

The official said the collaboration between the armed bandits and Boko Haram has escalated attacks on innocent residents in recent times.

Mr Matane, who said the state had spent over N5 billion in tackling security challenges, said the government was worried the situation has continued to escalate.

After the alarm raised by the Niger government, the federal government announced that it was deploying massive security personnel to the state to check the activities of the terrorists.