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JUST IN: Crisis Looms As Vigilante Commandant Shuts Down Offices In Niger [See Why]

Published

2 years ago

Jun 26, 2022.

Benard Joseph

Crisis Looms As Vigilante Commandant Shuts Down Offices In Niger.
The order comes following the commandant’s arrest by the police for clamping down on hoodlums causing breach of peace in Minna, the state capital in particular.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Niger State Vigilante Corps (NSVC) Commandant, Comrade Nasir Mohammed Manta has mandated the closure of all its offices across the 25 Local Government Areas.

The order comes after he was arrested and detained for 24 hours by the police for clamping down on hoodlums causing breach of peace in Minna, the state capital in particular.

The NSVC Commandant has been having sleepless nights lately over the activities of hooligans whose renewed restiveness have created fears among residents of Minna and its environs and efforts to checkmate them, he said is always being thwarted by ‘influential individuals’, clandestinely supporting them.

For almost three weeks now, the miscreants form street gangsters moving from one part of Minna the state capital to another to mock political opponents and causing fear, panic and general disturbance of public peace.

Vehicular movements between Mobil round-about, Central Mosque and linking Bosso road are almost on a daily basis disrupted by the hoodlums as they engage perceived enemies in free-for-all as residents fear such attacks are capable of causing public disturbance and break down of law and order in the city.

This and many more, according to findings prompted some residents to invite the Vigilantes to check the activities of the miscreants, including some of them already well known to the police as ‘security threats’ because of their criminal records.

Inviting Manta and his ‘boys’ to checkmate the activities of the hoodlums, the invitation did not go well with the Niger State Police Command as the Commissioner, Mr. Monday Kuryas is said to have ordered his arrest and subsequently detained for two days.

Manta told journalists after his release on Saturday, that he has ordered the closure of their offices across the state pending the time issues between his office and that of the state police command would be resolved.

Describing allegations against him as false, Mohammed Manta said, “The Commissioner of Police did not investigate the allegations against me by some influential individuals whom I met in his office when he invited me, before ordering my detention”.

The Vigilante Commandant said his detention has more to do with clash between his boys and that of some policemen, especially the recent hooliganism causing breach of peace and which made some influential individuals to use the police in calling for his head on a platter.

“The problem is with the arrest of miscreants disturbing public peace in Minna, since some of them have the backing of some influential individuals, they misinformed the Commissioner of Police and without investigating the allegations he ordered my detention”.

“The Police Commissioner is asking me, why I should arrest the boys without the involvement of the police”, Manta further explained, adding however that he regained his freedom after the intervention of some well placed individuals in the state, including the state Commissioner of Internal security, Mr. Emmanuel Umar.

Mohammed Manta who however said his embarrassing arrest and detention will not deter him from serving the security needs of Nigerlites, promised to renew his onslaught against criminals by complementing security agencies to save lives and properties of citizenry.

Asked if he was demoralized by the detention, Manta said “I am not in any way deterred by what has happened, I am not serving the police, I am only concerned with the security of our people and in Niger state. Meanwhile, I have directed my men to close and lock offices across the 25 Local Government Areas for the mean time”.

Meanwhile, while Niger state police command over the weekend announced the arrest of 22 miscreants, findings indicate that some of the boys well known to have a hand in the murder of an Igbo businessman few months ago have been released.

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When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Niger State Command, DSP Wasiu A. Abiodun denied the allegations in a statement made available to journalists in Minna, insisting that, ‘such claim is aimed at smearing the efforts of the command in curbing the activities of street urchins and maintain peace and orderliness’.

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