The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has distributed relief materials to victims of bandit attacks in Allawa and Bagna communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

Armed bandits in April attacked Bagna, Erena, Yelwa and neighbouring communities, killing residents and vigilante members, burning houses and displacing several families.

 The distribution exercise was conducted on Saturday at Mutum Daya community in collaboration with the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA).

The intervention followed the federal government’s approval of relief assistance for households affected by the attacks in the two communities.

Speaking during the exercise, Hussaini Isah, head of NEMA, Minna Operations Office, said the intervention was aimed at providing humanitarian support and alleviating the hardship faced by vulnerable persons affected by the attacks.

 Mr Isah said the distribution was organised according to the affected communities to ensure fairness, transparency and orderly conduct.

According to him, the exercise was successfully coordinated with the support of community leaders, security agencies and other stakeholders.

He listed the items distributed to include 25kg bags of rice and beans, cartons of spaghetti, vegetable oil, tomato paste, seasoning cubes and iodised salt.

Mr Isah also said that the 2026 seasonal climate prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) and the annual flood outlook by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency had been released.

He advised residents to avoid farming, building houses and carrying out business activities along waterways and flood-prone areas due to the risk of severe and localised flooding.

The NEMA official reiterated the federal government’s commitment to prompt response to humanitarian crises, support for affected communities and promotion of public awareness on disaster risk reduction and security vigilance.

He urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements and unusual activities within their communities to security agencies.

In their remarks, the village head of Allawa, Alhaji Ibrahim Salihu, and the village head of Bagna, Mr Bitrus Leo, appreciated the federal government and NEMA for the timely intervention.

They said the relief materials had restored hope to vulnerable households affected by the attacks.

 The traditional rulers also commended NEMA and NSEMA for their continued commitment to humanitarian response and support for communities affected by insecurity.

Dignitaries at the exercise included the Director-General of NSEMA, Abdullahi Baba Arah, representatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). 

(NAN)