In a bid to forestall further attacks by armed bandits in communities across Niger state, the state government has declared dawn to dusk ban on motorcycles.
Also, the government has directed security to apprehend all motorcycles and vehicles without number plates while vehicles using government number plates without authorization should also be arrested until they are able to give proof of authorization.
Briefing newsmen in Minna on Thursday, the state Commissioner for Information, Mohammed Sani Idris said that most of the bandit attacks were done on motorcycles.
“We are bringing back the ban on motorcycles from 10 pm to 6 am in order to reduce the insecurity in the state.
“Although the ban is only in Minna, it would be scaled down to the rural areas where most of these attacks take place. Insecurity is now prevalent in the rural areas.”
The Commissioner noted that although recent attacks are now taking place during the day, the government has put in measures and strategies which would address this recent challenge.
In a related development, the Commissioner of Mining, Daniel Sunday Kolo said that the state government has decided to harmonize the activity of illegal miners in order to checkmate them as it has been discovered that some of these bandits hide among the illegal miners who are across the state.
He said that investigations have further shown that illegal miners are part of the cause of the rise in insecurity in the state.
