Archive October 23, 2025

Umaru Bago, the governor of Niger State, has urged residents to protect themselves from persistent bandit attacks as a result of growing concerns about insecurity in various parts of the nation.

He resolutely argued that no matter what the circumstances, his administration would never negotiate with or pay a ransom to criminals.

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Bago made the statement while traveling to the local government areas of Rijau and Magama, where several communities have recently been attacked by bandits operating from the Kontagora axis.

The governor claimed that the state had reached a critical stage, urging people to take collective action, warning that paying ransom would only enrage criminals and encourage kidnapping.

“I won’t bargain with bandits,” I said. I won’t demand a ransom.

He said, “They will open a shop on our heads and continue kidnapping people until we start paying.”

“The situation has reached a war zone that calls for collective coercion.” We have enemies in our area, but we won’t give up.

The governor continued, “We will defend our lives and property as the constitution allows.”

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Bago announced plans to recruit and train 10,000 people for the state’s joint task force to improve community security and restore peace, calling the frequent attacks and residents’ displacement as “embarrassing and unacceptable.”

The governor also announced a total ban on all mining activities across Zone C of the state in a statement released by his Special Adviser on Print Media, Aisha Wakaso.

Magama, Kontagora, Rijau, Wushishi, Mariga, Borgu, Mashegu, and Agwara are the affected local government areas.

According to Bago, illegal mining had become a major contributor to the zone’s insecurity, noting that many miners had unrestricted access to forests that were viewed as unsafe for residents.

The bandits don’t touch the forests, despite suspicion that miners can freely enter them. He stated that I have mandated that anyone caught engaging in mining activities be detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).

Joash Amupitan, the newly appointed head of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is in Abuja for President Bola Tinubu’s swearing-in ceremony.

Amupitan met with onlookers at the State House on Thursday morning, clad in a white “agbada” and sporting a gold cap, and greeted them as he officially assumed the position of head of the nation’s electoral umpire.

The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and the professor of law was accompanied by a few presidential aides.

The National Economic Council (NEC) meeting is being presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima in the Villa’s Council Chamber.

Governors and deputy governors from each of the Federation’s 36 states are present at the meeting.

Amupitan’s visit to the villa comes a week after the Senate approved his appointment as INEC Chairman following a rigorous screening session on October 16.

Senators questioned the 58-year-old don about his plans to bring about lasting reforms in the commission and restore credibility to the electoral process during his screening.

Amupitan succeeds Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose term as INEC Chairman officially ended recently and was nominated by President Tinubu and supported by the National Council of State.

Since its founding, he is the electoral body’s sixth substantive head.

Amupitan had promised to prioritize electoral reforms that would boost voter confidence and ensure transparent polls while speaking to the Senate during his screening.

The professor stated that his main goals would be to strengthen the Electoral Act’s provisions to address irregularities in election dates and increase legitimacy.

“We must conduct elections where even the loser can congratulate the winner and declare, “You won fairly and well. When that occurs, voters’ confidence will naturally be restored, he said.

The law professor clarified that he neither represented the President nor appeared for any of the opposition candidates in response to reports that he had been connected to President Tinubu’s legal team during the 2023 Presidential Election Petitions Court.

He reiterated his impartiality to lawmakers by saying, “I never appeared before the Presidential Election Tribunal or the Supreme Court for any of the parties.”