Niger Gov condoles with Lebanese Govt, Army, FERMA over loss of personnel

Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello of Niger State has commiserated with the Lebanese Government, Nigerian Army and Federal Emergency Road Management Agency (FERMA) over the loss of their national, staff and personnel to the activities of criminal elements in the state on Monday.

In a message, the governor expressed his deepest condolences and pain over the abducted, injured and workers that were killed, including a foreigner.

The governor said he was particularly saddened over the continuous loss of lives to society’s undesirable elements at a time the government was doing everything humanly possible to address the problem of infrastructural decay in most parts of the state.

Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello said: “It is more grieving, when workers, who are dutifully carrying out their legitimate duty of maintaining roads have to suffer this fatality.

“We are at work presently and fast-tracking other measures, which we cannot disclose for now, to check the dubious activities of these criminals portraying the state in bad light both at home and internationally,” he declared.

The governor stated further that “condolences are with the Lebanese Embassy in Nigeria, the Nigerian Army and FERMA over the loss, especially to the families of the deceased who have lost their breadwinners. Our resolve is that these heroes will not die in vain.”

He described, as more worrisome, the fact that most of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes were young people, who were supposed to be leaders of tomorrow.

He however called for a holistic approach to dealing with the high rate of crimes through strong family system.

Governor Sani-Bello then, revealed that his government will intensify its collaboration with the relevant security agencies and President Muhammadu Buhari with the view to ensure the issue of insecurity was permanently laid to rest.

He noted that the people abducted and those workers that were killed by the assailants were engaged in the repair work on the Minna-Zungeru-Tegina road when the incident occurred.

Nigerian Tribune however gathered that the Lebanese national allegedly kidnapped by gunmen suspected to be armed bandits on Monday at a Construction site in Yakala village in Rafi local government area of the state has been identified as Abdulsalem Algusani.

It was further learnt that the expatriate has been killed by his fleeing abductors suspected to be bandits and his body was said to have been dumped close to a stream while his official driver allegedly escaped on Monday. His whereabouts are yet unknown as of the time of filing this report.

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