Bandits: Niger Vigilante loses 170 member in one year

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

No fewer than one hundred and seventy (170) members of Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) in Niger state have been killed in different fights against insurgency and banditry this year 2020.
The Group State Commander, Malam Nasir Mohammed Manta made this revelation while briefing some journalists yesterday in Minna on their counter insurgency activities.
Manta disclosed that members of Vigilante have also killed and arrested many bandits in their separate engagements in parts of Niger state within the period under review some of which he said have been handed over to police for necessary action.
He explained that members of Vigilante in Niger state remain irrevocably determined to the fight against banditry towards sanitising the state and applauded the synergy between them and other security agencies such as Nigeria Army, Police and Civil Defence which he said has yielded positive results thus far.
The State Vigilante Commander further applauded the support of Niger state and Local Government Areas despite the dwindling revenue and Federal allocation which was occasioned by CoronaVirus pandemic and called for more to succeed in daunting task ahead.
While commenting on the proliferation of voluntary security outfit Mal Manta stressed on the need for the state government to collapsed them into a Vigilante to avoid duplication and unnecessary wrangling amongst them.
He debunked insinuation going round that some members of Vigilante in Niger state have attacked as well as vandalised a Divisional Police station in Kagara headquarters of Rafi Local Government Area and went away with some ammunition insisting that it was false and misleading.
He however said that his members as responsible people will never engage in such act and advised public to always cross-check their facts to avoid engaging in character assassination or libel.