By Fatima Ndagi
The member representing Borgu/Agwara Federal Constituency of Niger State, Hon. Jafaru Mohammed Ali, has appealed to the Federal Government to urgently step up military operations to curb the escalating bandit attacks ravaging communities in his constituency.
He also urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—who holds the traditional title of Jagaban Borgu—to take decisive action against armed groups terrorising the Borgu Emirate.
Hon. Ali made the call on Tuesday while briefing journalists on the recent upsurge in violence, including an attack on his convoy and the abduction of over 300 students and teachers from St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area.
During the resumed special plenary, the lawmaker lamented that several prominent figures remain in captivity, including a former Niger State SUBEB chairman, a State Electoral Commissioner, and dozens of travellers kidnapped along the Mokwa–New Bussa road.
Speaking on the Papiri school abduction, he said:
“On 21st November 2025, gunmen attacked St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri and kidnapped 303 students, 12 teachers, and a notable figure, Sarkin Samarin Agwara. Fifty of the students later escaped and reunited with their families.”
He also recounted how his convoy came under heavy attack earlier in the month:
“On 4th November 2025, during a routine condolence visit in my constituency, I was attacked by armed gunmen in their hundreds, resulting in the loss of lives and injuries to many innocent people along Agwara–Babanna road.”
Hon. Ali expressed appreciation to the Office of the National Security Adviser, the DSS, and the Nigerian Army for their swift deployment of a helicopter that evacuated him and his entourage from the incident scene.
The lawmaker further revealed that three people were killed in a family compound in Gidan Guga on 2nd November, with their father currently receiving treatment at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto.
He listed several villages displaced by bandits—including Boyiya and Bakin Bara—while communities such as Aika, Kuka, Dekara, Kerenji, Saminaka and Audu Fari have been “fully dominated” by armed groups.
According to him, bandits now use the national parks as operational bases.
“They are using the National Park as their harbour from where they attack Agwara and Borgu in Niger, Bagudo and Shanga in Kebbi, Kaiama and Baruten in Kwara, and even communities in Benin Republic,” he said.
“Most of the bandits are foreigners who cannot speak Nigerian languages. Some migrated from Zamfara and Katsina, using Ibbi National Park as a link into Kaiama and Kainji National Parks.”
Hon. Ali added that the last two months have witnessed recurring killings, kidnappings and mass displacement, including an incident where four security personnel were ambushed and bombed between Babanna and Lumma. He also referenced the daylight assassination of a Fulani clan leader at the Lumma police station for refusing to cooperate with bandits.
Describing the situation as “horrible,” he warned that the constituency risks being completely overrun within months if urgent federal intervention is not deployed.
The lawmaker expressed concern that community members, out of fear for their lives, are increasingly being forced into compromises with criminal groups.
He called on the Federal Government to secure and reclaim Kainji National Park, which he said has become a major hideout for armed men launching cross-border attacks on communities in Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara states.