The Niger State Government has revealed that deploying service assets (hunters) in the task force team led by the Department of State Service, DSS, played a major role in the liberation of areas deserted by residents due to incessant attacks by insurgents in the state.
The State Governor and Chairman, North Central Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello disclosed this while declaring open the quarterly meeting of State Directors of the Department of State Services (DSS) of the North Central states held at the Royal Institute For Training and Human Capital Development, Zuma Rock Resort, Suleja, Niger State.
Bello, who spoke through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ahmed Ibrahim Matane said the hunters have been instrumental to the operational successes in freeing the affected areas in the state.
According to him, in order to proffer a lasting solution to security challenges in the state, the government had to prioritise security by taking a number of measures.
The measures, he said, include increased support to the security agencies, stakeholder engagement, and expanding the membership of the Task Force through the intervention of the DSS in vetting prospective members of the Vigilante Corps who have been contributing immensely to the security operations in the state.
Bello also reaffirmed the government’s continued support to the security agencies in all possible ways towards ending the challenges of insecurity in the state, region, and the country as a whole.
He expressed optimism that the meeting would provide an opportunity for retrospection, experience sharing among the security agencies, and reassessment of the situation on ground for the development and implementation of an all-inclusive methodology to mitigating and tackling the security challenges affecting the State.
He called on participants to come up with pragmatic solutions to guide the Service Commands and other stakeholders in the neighboring states to Niger and the North-Central towards strengthening existing measures, while sustaining a holistic approach to confronting security challenges.
The governor then applauded the resilience and gallantry of security agencies in the field, while commending the efforts of traditional, religious, and community leaders, scholars, hunters, vigilantes, youth, and other voluntary groups incorporated into the security architecture of the state.
The Niger State Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mohammed Tijani Wakili earlier explained that the meeting is aimed at giving the Directors of DSS in the zone the opportunity to address issues such as terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping with a view to finding a lasting solution.
