MINNA — Niger State Governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago, has delivered a direct, hard-hitting message to the Fulani community in the state, demanding an immediate end to kidnappings, banditry, and rural violence linked to forest-based terror groups operating within Niger State and its borders.

Speaking during a high-level security meeting and community engagement session in Minna, Governor Bago addressed the leaders of pastoralist communities, urging them to take internal responsibility and call back their kinsmen who have taken up arms against innocent citizens.

The governor warned that the persistent involvement of rogue herder groups in mass abductions, farmlands destruction, and highway terrorism is driving public resentment and threatening peaceful coexistence across the state.

Key Takeaways from Governor Bago’s Address

Addressing community leaders directly, Governor Bago outlined the growing frustration among victims of rural terrorism and highlighted the contrast between peaceful residents and forest insurgents:

• Direct Attribution of Kidnappings: “Anyone who is kidnapped and later released will say it was Fulani who abducted them. There is no way people will not begin to resent you because of this,” Governor Bago stated, emphasizing that public perception is shaped by the lived experiences of survivors.
• Call for Internal Action: The governor urged community elders to intervene directly: “Advise your brothers who are in the forests to return and live peacefully within society. Your brothers are killing people, yet no one has stopped you from grazing your cattle, farming or living in peace.”
• Warning of Accountability: Stressing that authorities will no longer tolerate active or passive collusion, Bago warned that community leaders who shield or fail to report armed relatives operating in forest hideouts will be held responsible: “However, your brothers have gone out and are committing atrocities against innocent people. If they cannot be found, then you will be held accountable.”

The Insecurity Context in Niger State

Niger State—Nigeria’s largest landmass—has remained one of the hardest-hit states in the North-Central region by armed banditry, cattle rustling, and mass kidnappings.

  Geographic Challenge:  Expansive forest reserves spanning Shiroro, Munya, Mariga, and Kontagora.
  Victim Demographics:   Rural farming communities, commuters along major highways, school students.
  Governor's Ultimatum: Community elders must expose or recall forest-based insurgents or face state accountability.

In recent months, the Niger State Government has combined kinetic operations involving joint military-police task forces with local intelligence gathering. However, Governor Bago’s latest remarks signify a shift toward demanding strict local community oversight to dismantle the logistics networks supporting forest bandits.

Public and Civil Society Reaction

Governor Bago’s unsparing statement has sparked widespread debate across security and civic circles.

While community rights advocates emphasize the need to distinguish between law-abiding pastoralists and criminal syndicates, rural farming associations have welcomed the governor’s firm stance, calling on state authorities to back the ultimatum with sustained military sweeps across forest corridors.