The African Democratic Congress, ADC, House of Representatives candidate for Borgu/Agwara Federal Constituency, Prince Murtala Haliru Dantoro, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government to urgently deploy a permanent and sustained security presence to Borgu Emirate, Niger State, warning that residents are living under siege.
Dantoro made the call on Sunday at a press conference in Minna, citing killings, kidnappings, displacement and restrictions on farming and movement amid the growing security challenges confronting communities across the emirate.
He said the people were not asking the government to wait until attacks occurred before responding, but are demanding proactive measures capable of preventing killings and abductions.
According to him, “We are not asking to be rescued after the fact. We are asking for security before the fact.”
He explained that farmers can no longer access their farms in peace, while women and children are increasingly exposed to danger on roads and in communities where kidnapping was previously uncommon.
Dantoro stated that Borgu was not asking for charity but for the protection due every Nigerian community.
The ADC candidate also raised concern over the destruction of a major bridge linking Borgu with the Republic of Benin, Kebbi and Sokoto States, describing it as a critical economic lifeline whose loss had disrupted movement, trade and the livelihoods of residents across the emirate.
He warned that insecurity was forcing some residents to cross into the Republic of Benin in search of safety, describing the development as both a humanitarian emergency and a national security concern.
He urged the Federal and Niger State governments to act before more citizens are displaced.
Dantoro further appealed to local and international humanitarian agencies to urgently assist displaced persons from Babanna and other affected communities, particularly women and children, with shelter, care and other humanitarian needs.
He called on President Tinubu and the nation’s security architecture to give Borgu the security it deserves, stressing that residents must be able to “sleep, farm, trade and travel without fear.”
Turning to politics, Dantoro declared himself the duly nominated and legitimate ADC candidate for Borgu/Agwara Federal Constituency for the 2027 general election, saying his emergence was backed by documentation and followed the party’s constitution and guidelines.
He challenged anyone parading himself as the ADC candidate for the constituency to produce authentic and verifiable documents establishing his nomination, insisting that legitimacy should be demonstrated with evidence rather than political claims.
He maintained that he was prepared to present the documents to the ADC leadership, the press, security agencies or any lawful authority adding, “I hold in my possession every relevant document and every piece of evidence that legitimately and lawfully establishes me as the candidate of this party.”
Dantoro, however, appealed to the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to intervene in the internal divisions within the party, warning that competing factions and claims could undermine the ADC ahead of the 2027 election.
He urged Atiku to reconcile factions, restore order and unite the party, stressing that members at the grassroots would be responsible for taking the party’s message to Nigerians.
“Give us a united party, sir, and we will give you Nigeria,” he declared.
Dantoro further explained that his intervention was not motivated by anger but by a duty to his people, the ADC and the country, maintaining that the party’s promise of transparency, accountability and fairness must also guide its internal affairs.
He pledged to continue serving as the voice of Borgu and Agwara, insisting that his mandate remained documented, verifiable and unshaken.
“We are losing citizens to Benin Republic over insecurity” – ADC chieftain, Dantoro