The Niger state government has appealed to the Nigerian Army to redeploy its troops to communities prone to terrorist attacks in the state.

Yakubu Garba, acting governor of the state, made the appeal in an interview with journalists after the three-day Fidda’u prayer for 13 people killed by bandits in Shiroro.

The victims lost their lives on Wednesday when bandits ambushed them on their way to their farms in Anguwan village.

Mr Garba said that the withdrawal of troops from Allawa and other communities had weakened the government’s efforts to eradicate insecurity in the state.

“I want to appeal to our military to see reasons to go back to Allawa and other prone areas to give full security cover to our people who are predominantly farmers,” he said.

He said that the Bago-led administration had deployed strategies to end insecurity, which had brought safety to commuters along Kuta, Gwada, Zumba and Erena roads in Shiroro council.

He said that those killed in the attack were displaced farmers who left the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Isah Allawa, a father of one of the victims, said the bandits killed eight people by shooting while five others drowned in a river while fleeing the scene of the attack.

“My son Mubarak Isah is among the people killed; the bandits caught them unaware; they separated people from Allawa and those from Kagara in Rafi Local Government.

“The bandits asked people from Kagara to go while those from Allawa had their hands tied to their backs before they started killing them,” he said.

Also, Murjanatu Musa, who lost her son in the attack, said the deceased was married with a daughter, adding that the deceased father was also killed in 2023 by bandits.

The acting governor was accompanied to the three-day Fidda’u prayer by the Emir of Minna, Umaru Farouk.

(NAN)