Niger Rep Raises Alarm: Bandits Overrun Borgu–Agwara, 303 Students Abducted
The lawmaker representing Borgu/Agwara Federal Constituency of Niger State, Hon. Jafaru Mohammed Ali, has issued a stark warning over the deepening insecurity in his constituency, urging the Federal Government to act swiftly as bandits tighten their grip on communities.
Addressing journalists after Wednesday’s special plenary, Hon. Ali called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Jagaban Borgu, to deploy decisive measures to halt the escalating attacks that, he said, threaten to overrun the entire Borgu Emirate.
The lawmaker’s alarm follows a string of violent attacks, including the abduction of 303 students, 12 teachers, and a community leader from St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area on November 21. He confirmed that 50 of the students have so far escaped and reunited with their families.
Hon. Ali also recounted how his convoy was ambushed on November 4 during a condolence visit between Agwara and Babanna in Borgu LGA, resulting in casualties. He commended the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), DSS, and the Nigerian Army for their swift intervention, including deploying a helicopter to extract him and members of his entourage.
The lawmaker further reported additional killings, including the murder of three family members at Gidan Guga on November 2, with the surviving patriarch currently receiving treatment at Usmanu DanFodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto.
He said several communities Boyiya and Bakin Bara have been completely displaced, while others such as Aika, Kuka, Dekara, Kerenji, Saminaka, and Audu Fari are now “fully under bandits’ control.”
According to him, the attackers operate from the vast Kainji and Ibbi National Parks, launching coordinated assaults on communities in Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara States, as well as border communities in the Benin Republic. He alleged that many of the armed groups comprise foreign nationals who speak neither Hausa nor other local languages.
Hon. Ali also revealed that a month earlier, bandits ambushed and killed four security personnel between Babanna and Lumma, while a Fulani clan leader was assassinated in broad daylight at the Lumma police station for resisting their demands.
“The situation is dire. If the government does not intervene immediately, these criminals may take full control of the entire federal constituency in the coming months,” he warned, adding that residents are being forced into dangerous compromises with the bandits to survive.
He urged the Federal Government to prioritise clearing Kainji National Park, which he described as the insurgents’ operational headquarters.
