Niger, Zamfara, others foreclose amnesty for bandits

Bello extends lockdown by two weeks
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State has said the idea of granting amnesty to bandits and other criminal elements in the country cannot work.

While addressing journalists in Minna, he pointed out that governors of Niger, Zamfara, Kebbi and Katsina states had rather decided to join forces to deal with the miscreants.

“As it is today, the governors of Niger, Zamfara, Kebbi and Katsina states have agreed to come together and act as governments to confront these hoodlums, realising that the idea of granting them amnesty cannot work.

“It is regrettable that efforts by some state governments to grant these bandits amnesty have yielded no fruitful results, and so we have decided to go all out and frontally attack them,” Bello asserted.

Bello, who is also the chairman of the Forum of North Central States Governors, said he and his colleagues had braced up to defeat the bandits.

At the briefing, the governor announced further partial lockdown of the state for another two weeks, as he ordered the mandatory use of face masks by all residents.

He explained that after reviewing the activities of the state’s task force on COVID-19, the state government came to the inevitable conclusion to extend the lockdown by two weeks.

“My executive order on the COVID-19 expired on April 26, and in view of what is on the ground, we decided to extend the lockdown, though it has been relaxed a bit,” he said.

According to him, under the relaxed lockdown order, neighbourhood markets will be allowed to operate, but people are expected to wear face masks before venturing out of their houses.

He noted that all ministries, departments, agencies and schools remain closed while inter and intra state journeys remain prohibited in the state.

The governor assured the citizens that government would review the lockdown order at the expiration of the two weeks, to fully re-open the state, if residents complied with the latest order.

He particularly warned against travels of any kind, stressing that everybody should remain within their councils within the two weeks.

“We want everybody to remain in their councils to enable us know the level of infection. After two weeks evaluation, if there are no new infections, then we can open the state and return to our normal lives.”

On the windows opened for people to restock their supply, the governor announced 7a.m. to midnight of every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.