Niger Government  Clarifies  Commissioner’s Comments On Borgu Incident, Affirms Restoration  Of  Peace

Niger State Government has clarified media reports suggesting that the Commissioner for Homeland Security, Barrister Maurice Magaji, denied an attack on Pissa Community in Borgu Local Government Area.

The government, for the avoidance of doubt, acknowledged that a violent incident occurred in the community, resulting in the unfortunate loss of lives and destruction of property.

 This was contained in a Press statement personally signed by the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon. Obed Nuhu Nana and made available to Journalists in Minna on Wednesday.

 The statement however stated that, contrary to reports portraying the incident as a bandit attack, preliminary findings and security assessments indicate that the crisis stemmed from a dispute between individuals from different ethnic backgrounds which later escalated into a communal conflict.

“The attention of government has been drawn to reports quoting the Commissioner as denying the attack. We wish to state that Barrister Maurice Magaji’s comments were taken out of context, stressing that his position was not to dismiss the occurrence of the incident but to clarify its nature based on information available to security agencies at the time,” Obed Nuhu Nana further stated.

The statement added that the Commissioner had further explained that through the swift intervention of security personnel, local authorities and community leaders, the situation was promptly brought under control and normalcy has since returned to the affected community.

The statement said that Government remains committed to ensuring the safety of all residents across the state and continues to work closely with security agencies to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.

” Surveillance, intelligence gathering and coordinated security operations remain active in vulnerable areas and border communities where there was banditry attacks recently”, it further maintained..

Meanwhile, the Niger State Government extended its sympathies to the families affected by the incident and reassures citizens that the protection of lives and property remains its foremost priority.