Niger bans commercial motorcycles in Minna after students abduction

The Niger State Government has banned commercial motorcycles from operating in Minna to protect the city and the seat of government from attacks by bandits.

Niger State Deputy Governor, Ahmed Ketso, disclosed on Wednesday while speaking with journalists, a week after gunmen abducted 136 pupils from an Islamic school in Tegina.

He said, “The ban on commercial motorcyclists is a step to avoid an attack. However private motorcyclists are free to operate from 6am to 9pm every day.

“There is the need to protect Minna as the seat of government because as we all can see, the bandits are leaving around us.”

He also stressed the state government’s commitment to rescuing the abducted schoolchildren, noting that negotiations with the abductors were ongoing.

Ketso said the negotiations were not about the payment of ransom but on how to secure the release of the pupils unhurt.

“I want to assure you that we have intensified efforts towards the safe release of the abducted children. We are being careful to ensure that there is no collateral damage on the part of the pupil we are rescuing,” he said.

The deputy governor said the government was aware that the bandits were demanding ransom from parents of the pupils,

He stated that the state government was however not involved in such negotiation for ransom.

Kelso said that the state government had provided a lot of logistics to security agencies in the state towards enhancing their performance in the fight against the bandits.