The Niger State House of Assembly has faulted the claim made by the Nigerian Army Headquarters that no inch of its Kontagora base training ground in Kontagora Local government area has been compromised by terrorists.
Speaking to newsman, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly and Member representing Mariga State Constituency, which was part of the area affected in the attack, Sarkin – Daji, stated that instead of refuting the complaints made by people who have been under the steady poaching of terrorists and kidnapers, the military rather should have done the needful and flush out the criminals instead.
The Speaker informed that families of victims previously had taken ransom payments to the bandits several times in the forest which is part of the Military grounds. He said many of the victims who were released after the ransom were met disclosed to their families that they were kept in a forest not far from the Kontagora Army Barracks.
” As members representing our people, we get feedback from our constituents about their plights. So before we present anything on the floor of the House, we had already done our investigations very well. It is not as if we are underrating the military capacity to fight bandits and terrorists but it is not right to just dismiss the complaints of our people. We want the Federal government and concerned authorities to know their plights. The communities said that the training ground has become a safe haven for bandits who always come out of the forest to attack them, kidnap people and take them to the same forest. Even the kidnapped victims that were released after payment of ransom said they were taken to the same bush and they could sight the Kontagora Army Barracks from where they were kept “.
The latest daredevil attack by the bandits along the Baban – Lamba and Beri axis of the Kontagora – Mariga road in Nigeria State saw the kidnapping of 20 persons in 5 vehicles.
This prompted the Motion of Urgent Public Importance brought during Plenary by the Member representing Kontagora 2 State Constituency Abdulahi Isah who said the military camp which occupies a large expanse of land extending from Kontagora Local government area to Mariga Local government area was now being occupied by bandits.
This claim by the lawmaker since then has continued to witness word trade between the Nigerian Army and the Niger State House of Assembly with both parties discounting each other’s narrative over the authenticity of events.
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