Niger lawmakers raise alarm as bandits take over Nigerian military’s largest training camp

The Niger State House of Assembly has raised an alarm over the occupation of Nigeria’s largest military training camp in Kontagora Local Government Area by bandits.

The lawmakers said the bandits’ activities have displaced 23 communities around the Nagwamase military cantonment in the Kontagora local council headquarters.

According to the lawmakers, the cantonment hosts the largest military training camp in Nigeria, where personnel of the Nigerian Army’s artillery corps undergo training.

The Assembly said that bandits had taken over the training camp and urged the state government to immediately liaise with the military authorities to flush them out.

The matter was brought to the attention of the lawmakers through a motion of urgent public importance moved by the member representing Kontagora 11 constituency, Abdullahi Isah, during a plenary on Tuesday.

Mr Isah said the non-state actors now occupy the military camp, which occupied a large piece of land extending from Kontagora local council to part of Mariga local council.

The lawmaker informed his colleagues that since the bandits took over the training camp, 23 farming communities had relocated due to frequent attacks by the gunmen.

“This military camp is now known to have been taken over by bandits, who are said to have established at least eight different camps in the area. The presence of the bandits on this training camp, which now serves as their safe haven, has posed a serious security threat to communities within the camp, both in Kontagora and Mariga local councils.”

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The lawmaker said in the last month, communities near the training camp had been under intense attacks by bandits operating with impunity, adding that the gunmen were still holding some members of the communities abducted during a recent operation.

After deliberation, the House urged the state government to liaise with the military authorities to intensify efforts to flush out the bandits from the training camp and enable the facility’s host communities to return to their homes.