President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday evening, met with the Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting was held hours after the abduction of some students and workers of the Government Science Secondary School, Kagara, in the early hours of the day.
In an interview with State House correspondents after the meeting, the governor supported the call by the Senate asking the President to declare a state of emergency on security in the country.
He said, “At the moment, if you look at what is happening, we are having security challenges in almost all parts of the country; so, yes there is a need to instil some form of emergency on security matters across board.
“So, yes, I think the Senate acted in good faith. Something definitely needs to be done.
“To be honest, I’m very convinced by what Mr President told me and I feel that I’ve seen the presence of the military in Kagara; I was there earlier today and I also request additional personnel and equipment, which I believe will be granted any moment from now.
“Right now, our immediate priority is to get the kidnapped victims released; after that, I think we must have a long lasting solution to the farmers/herders’ conflicts.”
Speaking on the purpose of the visit, he said, “I came in this evening to thank Mr President for his quick response to the plight of Nigerlites following two serious kidnap incidents. At the same time, we rubbed minds on what we think should be done so that we can find a lasting solution to the situation and Mr President has confirmed to me that this matter will be given proper attention and we’ll continue engaging the service chiefs and the Federal Government so that we can guide and advice them on what we think should be done. So, I think it was a wonderful meeting.” (Punch)
