MINNA, Nigeria — Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago says his administration will not negotiate with bandits or pay ransom for kidnapping victims, insisting communities must be ready to resist attacks.
Speaking during a visit to Rijau and Magama local government areas after fresh assaults in the Kontagora axis, Bago described the repeated invasions and displacement of residents as “embarrassing and unacceptable.”
“We have reached a point where the people must stand up and defend themselves because ransom will only turn kidnapping into a thriving business,” the governor said. “I will not negotiate with bandits. I will not pay ransom. The moment we start paying, they will open shop on our heads and continue kidnapping people. The situation has reached a state of war that requires collective resistance.”
Bago announced plans to recruit and train 10,000 personnel into a revitalised Joint Task Force (JTF) to reinforce security across the state’s most affected communities.
In a separate measure targeting what he called a key driver of violence, the governor declared an immediate total ban on mining activities across Zone C—covering Magama, Kontagora, Rijau, Wushishi, Mariga, Borgu, Mashegu and Agwara LGAs. He directed the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to arrest anyone found engaging in mining, alleging that illegal operators move freely in forested areas while residents face attacks.
“It is suspicious that miners can enter the forests freely, yet the bandits don’t touch them,” Bago said, linking illicit mining to financing and safe passage for armed groups.
Bago pledged support for victims of recent raids, including compensation for families of the dead, medical care for the injured, and assistance to those who lost livelihoods.
“We are surrounded by enemies, but we will not give up,” he said. “The constitution gives us the right to defend our lives and property, and we will do just that. There is no going back.”
The governor’s stance aligns with a growing push by some northern states to harden security and criminalise ransom payments, amid persistent banditry and mass abductions that have strained local economies and displaced thousands.
