The UNICEF report has indicated that about 10.5 million of Nigeria’s children aged 5–14 are not in school, as only 61 per cent of those aged between 6–11 years regularly attend primary schools, and only 35.6 per cent of children aged 36–59 months receive early childhood education.

In this report, Bala Yahaya writes on appeals from various quarters on the need for the government to beef up security, particularly in Papiri and environs, so as to ensure children in Agwara Local Council Area are not denied education, as well as to protect the lives of the people.

The United Nations Children’s Fund Charter (UNICEF) states that all children, no matter where they live or what their circumstances, have the right to quality education. In the northern part of the country, the picture is even bleaker, with a net attendance rate of 53 per cent. Getting out-of-school children back into education poses a massive challenge.

Findings by the Guardian have it on good authority that there is no military base in the area encompassing the entirety of Agwara Local Council Area and the vast majority of Borgu Local Council Area north of Kainji Game Reserve.

The police in the area are also ill-equipped and have a shortage of personnel, few if any operational vehicles, nor sufficient firearms to tackle the security challenges. It has also come to public attention that there is a serious lack of co-ordination between the various security agencies operating in the area, in particular with the military. Both Borgu and Agwara Local Councils were originally part of Kwara State.

On 27 August 1991, they became part of Niger State. However, it would appear that the military command structure has not been changed to date. Such a laborious chain of command poses a serious obstacle to the rapid deployment of troops to deal with bandits and insurgents.

We are appealing for a streamlining of the military chain of command and a review of the co-operation, or lack thereof, between all the security agencies.

In view of the above, St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Agwara Local Council of Niger State, need the total security support of not only the state but specifically the federal government if they are to have any hope of ever re-opening. Since the abduction of schoolchildren in Papiri, there has been a mobile police presence of approximately 40 personnel guarding the village and the school.

Most importantly, in spite of this, every day more and more people in Papiri and the nearby villages of Guffanti, Sokonbara, and Bako-Mission are packing their loads and leaving the area entirely due to fear of further attacks, especially since the nearby Kasuwan Daji massacre. It is imperative, therefore, that there is a permanent military as well as police base on the ground in the area, capable of not only defending life and property, safeguarding the lives of pupils, teachers, and villagers alike, but also capable of taking the fight to the enemy.

The current situation in Papiri is not fair on the mobile police, where 40 of them are expected to defend against at least more than twice that number of attacking bandits.

Niger State government’s recent directive that schools with threats of terrorist attack should remain closed has given credence to speculation that St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, being the only quality educational institution in the area, is being threatened with permanent closure, since to date there is not a sufficiently numerous security presence in the area capable of defending the village of Papiri itself, let alone the school.

With a view to complementing the government’s efforts and to ensure children acquire basic education in Agwara LGA, the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora established the fully equipped St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, with both day and boarding students to serve those who attend school from far-distant communities, some up to 100 kilometres away. The abduction of 230 children and teachers and the recent slaughter of 42 persons in Kasuwan Daji market, bordering Agwara and Borgu Local Government Areas and only 15 km from Papiri, is another clear indication of the absence of a credible security presence in the area, as the terrorists were able to burn the market and village to the ground in broad daylight without fear of any security force personnel.

The proprietor of the school and Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, commended the federal and state governments, the security agencies, and the media for their roles in ensuring the children and teachers were rescued. He urged the government to see that Papiri schools speedily re-open, adequately protected by a well-equipped and sufficiently numerous security force capable of protecting the children and deterring, and if necessary, repelling any future attack.

In a passionate appeal during an interview with journalists, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who is also the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, appealed to the government to stand by their words by establishing a military outpost and empowering the security agencies to always be present in Agwara.

He explained: “The school was established for our children irrespective of religion or tribe so as to build a better future for them. Let us not allow their dreams to die because of this ugly incident. Please, all that the government needs to do is to beef up security so that our children, teachers and even people in the area can feel secure and learn in a safe environment.”

Also, in a statement on Tuesday 6 January 2026, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, called for stronger protection of civilian spaces and schools following the spate of attacks in Niger State.

Fall also described the abduction of children and teachers of St Mary’s Catholic School as a grave violation of human rights, including the right to life and the protection of civilians, saying: “Particularly, the abduction of women and children undermines the right to education.”

Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Barrister Maurice Magaji, in a telephone interview said comprehensive efforts are being put in place to ensure security in Agwara, Borgu, and other troubled Local Council Areas of the state.

He, however, explained that the government would not want to put the lives of its people at risk by rushing to open schools in troubled areas, saying: “The government has a responsibility to protect lives and properties. Life comes before education. Let us be calm, and as soon as there is calm, within a short time the schools in these troubled areas will be opened in phases.”

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, Hon. Jonathan Vatsa, called for the immediate establishment of a military base and the deployment of marine police to Agwara Local Government as a way to minimise the persistent terrorist attacks in the area.

The former Publicity Secretary of APC in the state said in a statement in Minna titled: “Urgent call for the establishment of Naval Base and Deployment of Marine Police in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State,” that the persistent and current situation is beyond what the state government alone can handle, stressing that the federal government must come to the rescue of the state government in tackling the challenges.

Vatsa, who was a Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, expressed great worry that the River Niger has increasingly become a security blind spot that enables armed groups to evade land-based security operations, adding that: “This vulnerability was glaringly exposed during the insecurity around Papiri community, where attackers leveraged riverine routes to perpetrate violence and retreat beyond the immediate reach of conventional security forces.”

It should be recalled that after the federal government’s delegation led by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, visited Kontagora, parents, relatives and authorities of St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, were able to breathe a hopeful sigh of relief with the assurance that “the 230 children and teachers are doing fine and would return safely.”

Worried by the level of insecurity and government’s directive to close schools till further notice in Agwara and other areas, the Principal of the school, Rev. Sister Felicia Gyang, appealed to the federal and state governments, including the security agencies, to prioritise security in Agwara LGA so as to ensure the children are not denied education and for the safety of everyone, including teachers, parents and residents.

One of the teachers who narrated his ordeal, Cyril Ibrahim, while commending the school authority, the government and security agencies for their roles in ensuring their safe rescue, appealed for a beef-up in security in Papiri, saying: “This is the only good school in this local government area that serves more than 50 communities. We are begging the government to do all it can to ensure this school continues by providing security for us.”

Another teacher, Mrs. Hannah Tevi, who was abducted alongside her son and her husband, who was visiting them at the time, said the experience was traumatic for them all and still remains fresh in their memories, particularly as most of the time they have to vacate their houses and hide out in the bush for fear of the bandits who freely travel throughout the area both by day and night. Mrs Tevi then appealed to the federal and state governments to come to their rescue, saying: “We (teachers) will be out of jobs if this school is not reopened and security beefed up. If there is security, we will feel secure and be able to teach our children.”

Mr. Markus Abuka, whose only child was abducted and rescued, said that although they as parents were devastated, all hope was not lost as they all resorted to prayers and to trust the promise made by the federal government through the NSA. However, pained by the recent attacks that claimed 42 lives in nearby Kasuwan Daji, Abuka, who was seen in a trending short video alongside other villagers, urged the government to set up a military base and joint security outpost to safeguard the lives of the people in Agwara LGA and neighbouring communities such as Sokonbara and other vulnerable villages like Bako-Mission in Borgu LGA, where bandits either by day or night regularly pass through on their way to carry out atrocities. Our rescued children, he said, are presently being doubly traumatised as they are forced, together with their parents, to hide in the bush at night for fear of being kidnapped again or murdered. The threat we are now facing goes far beyond the school in Papiri. Between Sunday, 28 December and Saturday, 3 January 2026, the date of the attack in Kasuwan Daji, these bandits roamed freely around the area both by day and night without being challenged by anyone. Markus pleaded with the authorities to come to their rescue before the next attack, which surely is not far off.

Another parent, Livinus Samaila, appealed to the government to do all it can to ensure the school still functions as it is the only school that serves almost 60 communities. In his words: “If nothing is done, all our children will be deprived of education, and many of us will end up murdered by these terrorists because we do not have anywhere to go. We need security and military outposts so that our children and even us, the parents, can live freely without fear of being attacked.” Without the rapid deployment of an overwhelming military force, North Borgu and Agwara face enslavement by these bandits.

Some of the students, Florence Michael and Felicia Musa, while recounting their ordeals in the hands of the abductors, prayed the governments to do all they can to provide security, saying: “We want to continue with our education. If we don’t continue, we will all go back to farms and be denied basic education.”

President Bola Tinubu quickly responded to the killing of 42 persons by terrorists in Kasuwan Daji by directing the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to track down and apprehend the perpetrators, ensuring that they are swiftly brought to justice.

He also directed security agencies to rescue all the abducted victims urgently.

President Tinubu, through a press statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, strongly condemned the attack on the Kasuwan Daji community and the abduction of women and children.

President Tinubu then assured that: “As a country, we must stand together as one people and confront these monsters in unison. United, we can and must defeat them, deny them any sanctuary. We must reclaim the peace and security of these attacked communities.”

A few days ago, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, said when he visited Niger State that additional resources for training of the Nigerian Army will be provided to help stem the tide of insecurity confronting Niger State.

In his words: “We will conduct operational visits to Headquarters of 31 Artillery Brigade and 18 Brigade in Bida to assess operational gaps with the view to addressing them.

“I commend the state government for its continued support to the TRADOC Nigerian Army and all other formations in the state. The Nigerian Army looks forward to additional cooperation and collaboration with the state government.”

Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, after the gruesome killings and attacks, noted that it is disturbing and worrying to start the year with such unfortunate incidents. (The Guardian)

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