The Niger Government said it spent more than N5 billion in the last two years on general security in the state.
Alhaji Ahmed Matane, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), said this while addressing newsmen in Minna on Tuesday.
Matane explained that the expenditure was to complement security agencies in the ongoing fight against banditry, kidnapping and other crimes.
He said the state also spent N605 million on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) following the security challenges and flooding in the state.
The SSG said that the government bought more than 100 Hilux vehicles fitted with communication gadgets which it distributed to the security agencies during the period.
“We have also refurbished 77 Hilux police patrol vehicles along with communication gadgets and five Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) for the ongoing fight against banditry and kidnapping.
“We have constantly been paying security personnel allowances deployed to fight criminal elements.
“We have devised new security strategies to fight banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other criminal elements in the state,’’ Matane said.
He said that government would continue to support the security personnel to rid the state of criminal elements.
“We would not relent in the effort to protect the lives and properties of our people through well- coordinated approaches towards tackling any form of insecurity.
“We will enhance community policing to enable the resident volunteer information that could aid in apprehending miscreants,’’ he said.
Matane said that the security personnel had been embarking on “operation show of force’’ to demonstrate their readiness to deal with any form of security threats.
The SSG appealed to the residents to continue to support the security personnel with useful information on miscreants in their midst.(NAN)
