I’m Worried Banditry Will Lead To Low Food Productivity, Says Governor Bello

Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, says he is worried that the activities of bandits in the north-central region will affect food production.

Bello, who also chairs the North-Central Governors’ Forum, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

The governor called on the Federal Government to adequately tackle the security challenges in the country.

“My main concern about this issue is about food security. When they kidnap for ransom, yes you will say they do that for money,” he said.

“But why burn farms? Why kill animals? I really want the Federal Government to really look at it from the several factors that contribute to this.”

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Speaking further, Governor Bello revealed plans by his administration to track bandits who attack communities, kill people and destroy farmlands and animals.

To the Niger leader, it is easier tracking the miscreants who appear in large numbers using the Intelligence, surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR).

“To get the right intelligence from the various communities that are far away from the cities, you must have some form of technology.

“In the meantime is that we try to track the movements of these bandits. For those ones that move on 20, 30, 40, 50 motorcycles, it is easy to pick using an ISR.

“For those ones that move in smaller units, I have to deploy, for example, things like drones and all that. We have to have intelligence,” he added.

The governor also asked his colleagues in the north-central region to work to increase the Internally Generated Revenues in their respective states.