TheCable

Abubakar Bello, governor of Niger, says prayers are also needed to address rising cases of kidnapping and banditry in the country.

He said this on Saturday at the opening of a two-day symposium held in Minna, the Niger capital.

The symposium, which was tagged ‘The Role of Imams in Ensuring Credible and Peaceful Elections As Well As Good Governance’, was organised by the Jumaat mosques imams’ forum, in conjunction with Rahama Foundation, and Bago Foundation in Minna.

According to Bello, who was represented by Ahmed Matane, the secretary to the state government, security agencies alone cannot do everything to tackle insecurity.

“Security agencies alone cannot do it and thus the need for prayers by religious leaders to address the ugly trend,” he said.

Bello also said religious and traditional rulers must be accorded prominence for the fight against insurgency to succeed, just as he commended the efforts of security agencies.

In his remarks, Umar Bago, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger, said with the roles played by religious and traditional rulers in promoting peaceful co-existence, they should be supported to achieve maximum results.

Also speaking, Sani Musa, APC senator representing Niger east, appealed to youths to obtain their permanent voter cards (PVCs), adding that “it is the only way they can elect credible leaders”.

He also called for prayers by religious leaders for hitch-free elections in 2023.

Umar Abdullahi, secretary of the imams’ forum in Niger, called on religious leaders to be actively involved in politics to “sanitise” the system.