The Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, has threatened to tag rural communities in the state that harbour bandits “as the same elements as bandits.”

The governor’s threat came on the heels of the recent attacks in the Kagara area of the state, which claimed the lives of two soldiers while several others sustained various degrees of injury.

Bello, who confirmed the death of the two soldiers when he visited 12 of the injured soldiers receiving treatment at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Specialist Hospital, Minna, expressed sadness over the incident and revealed that some of the injured soldiers were taken to Kaduna State for medical attention.

He added that the bandits   suffered heavy casualties but he could not mention the exact number.

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While raising concerns over some rural communities who, for fear of attack, harbour bandits, the governor warned that “very soon we will tag those communities as the same elements as bandits. If you harbour any bandits, you are one, even if you don’t carry a gun, because you are risking the lives of our security agents.

“We have lost quite a few of them since it started and we don’t intend to lose more. What we are calling for is a safe environment and for everyone to support the ongoing operation by the security agents,” he said.

The governor also visited a victim of gas explosion from Kagara in the surgical ward of the hospital who has been on admission for over two months.

Bello also ordered the immediate repair of the dialysis machines in the hospital and directed the state Commissioner for Finance, Zakari Abubakar, to release funds immediately to that effect.