No fewer than three out of the 13 delegates from Mariga Local government Areas of Niger State for the governorship primaries were allegedly killed by bandits on Thursday.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that the incident occurred between Mariga and Tegina, and the three persons were shot dead on the spot in an ambush by gunmen believed to be bandits.
They were killed on their way back to Mariga after the party postponed the primaries to obtain their means of identification, following a protest by some of the aspirants who were not comfortable with the delegates list.
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Against this backdrop, delegates were asked to return home and bring their means of identification and the primaries shifted to Thursday.
The victims were two women and a male, whose identities were not revealed.
The Chairman of the State electoral panel and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State Mr. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo who made the disclosure at the state party secretariat described the incident as sad.
Ewhrudjakpo also asked all the aspirants for the replacement of the three deceased delegates, which they agreed to after a brief discussion.
He afterward, ordered a minute of silence be observed for the deceaseds’.
In a related development, Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle has openly urged the Nigerian military to take keep hitting the insurgents while taking the battle against bandits to their enclaves, to end the lingering insurgency in the state.
He made the call in Gusau while receiving a visiting team of members of the Army War College of Nigeria on a study tour to the military task force codenamed ‘Operation Hadarin Daji.’
The governor explained that adopting a total pro-active measure would clear the bandits and restore law and order in the state. However, he acknowledged that the military was overstretched and also in need of more modern equipment.