Senate Demands Reinforced Military Presence as 56 Killed in New Niger Massacre

• Orders joint security assessment within four week, seeks deployment of more men

•Observes minute of silence for victims

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Senate, yesterday, rose in outrage over the massacre of no fewer than 56 persons in Konkoso Village, Niger State, demanding the immediate reinforcement of security presence in the troubled communities and a comprehensive reassessment of the country’s counterterrorism architecture.

In a resolution adopted during plenary, the upper chamber condemned, in the strongest terms, the February 14 attack on communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, describing the killings, abductions, and arson as “brutal, callous and unacceptable”.

The assault, which occurred in Konkoso and neighbouring Pissa villages, reportedly, left over 56 people dead, with several women and children abducted.

The attackers also razed homes and public facilities, including a police station, in what lawmakers characterised as a coordinated act of terror.

Moving a motion of urgent national importance, Senator Sani Musa (Niger East) painted a grim picture of the security situation, warning that the violence underscored widening vulnerabilities in rural communities across the North-central zone.

According to him, the affected communities share boundaries with strategic forest corridors linking neighbouring states, routes he said have increasingly been exploited by armed groups for cross-border movements and coordinated criminal operations.

“These forest corridors have become safe havens for terrorists,” Musa warned.

He said the massacre was not an isolated incident but part of a troubling pattern of escalating attacks on rural settlements and farmlands.

Senate, in its resolutions, called for the immediate deployment of additional security personnel to the affected local government areas to strengthen rapid response mechanisms and forestall further attacks.

It also mandated its Committees on Defence, Army, Air Force, Police Affairs and National Security to undertake a joint assessment of the security architecture in the region and report back within four weeks.

Lawmakers observed a minute of silence in honour of the victims and extended condolences to bereaved families, as well as to the government and people of Niger State.