Angry parents of the abducted students of St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State yesterday staged a protest over what they called Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago’s insensitivity to their ordeal.

The parents, who converged on the school premises, wept and took exception to a remark allegedly made by the governor that the students were missing, not abducted.

The protest came on a day Northwest leaders gathered in Kaduna to chart a new security architecture for the region following the recent surge in banditry and terrorism.

President Bola Tinubu, in a message to the Passing Out Parade (POP) of the Regular Course 7/2019 Cadets of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano, also yesterday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to equipping the police and other security agencies with modern tools, advanced training and sustained logistical support to combat insecurity nationwide.

The abducted students’ parents, who have been distressed for the eighth day running, carried placards with inscriptions like “Bring back our students, teachers”; “We need security in Agwara” and “Is education a crime?”

They said no one has been able to give them information about their children.

The governor, according to them, has not even deemed it fit to visit them (parents).

The parents had gone to the school to formally register the names of their children following a complaint by the state government that the management of the school was not cooperating by failing to provide the names of the missing students.

It then opened a register for the parents to provide the details of their children.

A father, Mr Bulus Duchi, whose three children are among the abductees, told The Nation that life has not been the same for him since the incident.

He said no government official has shown up to engage with the parents on their misfortune.

“We heard the Governor went to New Bussa to see the Emir. Is New Bussa Papiri or Agwara? He did not even sympathise with us enough to identify with us in our period of pain,” Mr. Duchi said.

Another parent, Zakaria Sule, said four of his children were abducted.

Two of them are in primary school and two in nursery school.

He pleaded with security agents to expedite action in rescuing the children.

Samson Ndaja whose child is also being held captive by the terrorists who attacked the schools said he was traumatised by the thought of what his nursery class child was going through.

A weeping parent was heard saying “my children are too young to be left uncared for in the bush for eight days. What are they eating? What are they wearing? Are they well?”

Another parent, Samson Najadi, who was once abducted in 2021, said he knows what it feels like to be in kidnappers’ den.

Two of his children are among the abductees. He wondered how they are coping under the situation they find themselves at their tender age.

“I was abducted before and I know what it entails. I wonder how these kids are coping with the same conditions I went through,” he said.

He added: “When I was in captivity, they gave us very little food, and no bathing at all. It is an experience I do not like to recall, but now I think about what my children are going through, the same torment.

“There is usually little food, little water when someone is in their captivity.

“If you are sick, there is no hospital to treat you.

“We beg the government to help in rescuing them.

Rebecca Sunday, whose primary 2 daughter was abducted, expressed her frustration at the lack of communication from government.

A female teacher in the school, Martha Mathias, said her crying children saved her from being abducted.

But her husband, also a teacher in the school, was not that lucky. He was taken away by the terrorists.

She said: “I did not know when they (terrorists) entered, but we heard the children shouting and calling for their parents.

“When they entered the boy’s hostel, they were screaming for help. I wanted to go out but my husband asked me not to go out; that it seemed there were bandits around.

“We heard the bandits asking the students, “where are your parents?” And the students replied that they didn’t have parents here.

“They now asked for teachers and they showed them our lodge. The bandits first went to Mr Godwin’s room, brought him out and tied his hands backwards.

“They came to our room, knocked on it and my husband came out. They also held him and tied his hands, and they went round all the rooms, gathered the teachers and took them to where the children were.

“They asked me to come out. When I came out, I heard my baby started crying. I told them I wanted to go back and carry my baby, and they agreed that I should go back.

“Going back, I was followed by four of them. When I took the baby, my five-year-old daughter saw them and screamed and followed me.

“When we came out, she saw her father on the ground, she shouted and wanted to go to him, but the bandits said that if she didn’t go back, they would shoot her. They put a gun to her head.

“She said she must follow mummy and daddy, and because of that, one of them asked me to take the children back to the lodge and stay with them.”

Marthias said the bandits had not contacted anyone to make a demand.

She claimed the terrorists conversed in Hausa, Igbo, Kambari and other languages.

The Priest in charge of Social Information of the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, Rev. Fr Stephen Ndubisi Okafor, explained that the school had sent messages to the parents of the abducted children to come and register the names of their children who were abducted.

The Principal of St. Mary’s Catholic Private School, Rev. Sr. Felicia Gyang, said that unlike what the government claimed that there was no large number of people, the bandits came with several vehicles and motorcycles which were used to take their victims away.

“We heard the sound of vehicles and motorcycles but we cannot tell their number. We heard them driving off in the vehicles. We also heard a helicopter flying around the school during the abduction and left some minutes after the bandits left.”

The head teacher of the nursery and primary section, Rev Sr. Blessing Amodu, looked devastated.

She pleaded with the government and security agencies to intensify their efforts towards recuing the children.

The Bishop of Kontagora Catholic Diocese, Most Rev Bulus Dauwa Yohanna put the students’ population of the schools at 689. Primary has 430 while the rest are in the secondary section.

“After the first count, 315 were recorded to be missing, including 303 students. But after some days, we started receiving calls from parents that their children had returned home after escaping from the terrorists.

He denied claims that the school and the Catholic Diocese were not cooperating with the government and security agencies.

He said he personally sent information about the missing people to the security agencies and the government.

“What other cooperation do they want?” he asked.

Yohanna, who is also the proprietor of the institution, explained that the school serves over 50 rural communities across Agwara and New Bussa, saying that most of these communities do not have good schools.

“It takes two to three hours to reach some of those communities by motorcycles. So we thought that instead of students spending that much time to get to school, we can make provision for them to come and stay in the school and return home during holidays.

“That is why we have children as old as seven years in nursery one, because we cannot take them direct to primary one without them knowing the basics,” he said

Defence Minister, others call for unified security approach in Northwest

Reviewing the security situation in the North West at a summit organised by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on National Security Summit in Kaduna yesterday, stakeholders made a fresh call for decentralised security architecture to deal with the challenge.

The summit, themed “Building Robust Regional Collaboration to Tackle Insecurity: Pathways for Securing the Future,” brought together senators, governors, traditional rulers, academics and security experts to review escalating banditry, kidnapping and cross-border criminality in the zone.

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani pushed for the establishment of a Northwest Theatre Command to unify all military and security operations under a single operational structure. He said only an integrated system rooted in community trust, cross-border partnerships and structural reforms could deliver long-term peace.

He also advocated the establishment of State Police.

“Today, virtually every governor agrees that progress is impossible without State Police,” he said.

“Many states already rely on vigilante services; Sokoto, Katsina, Kano and others. But they remain ineffective because the law forbids them from carrying the weapons needed for self-protection. Sending them out unarmed amounts to a death sentence.”

He Insisted that State Police must be built on safeguards that prevent political abuse and preserve professionalism.

“A new policing architecture must include an Independent State Police Commission, clear oversight mechanisms, professional standards and strict limits on political interference. This is the model I have advocated for years.”

Beyond policing reforms, Governor Sani pressed for deeper regional synergy, saying that the North West “requires an integrated system that balances military effectiveness, community engagement and development. The central component should be the creation of a North-west Theatre Command, bringing the Army’s 1 Division and F Division under a unified structure.”

Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar said government was committed to a whole-of-society approach, warning that Nigeria could no longer rely solely on military solutions.

He said progress had been recorded with the reopening of major routes, activation of Forward Operating Bases and the return of displaced villagers, but more work remained to tackle bandits, terror cells and organised criminal networks.

“The shield of the Armed Forces must be paired with the foundation of a Whole-of-Society Approach. National security cannot be achieved by the military alone; it requires the active participation of every citizen,” the minister said.

Badaru commended governors for establishing complementary security outfits such as the Community Protection Guard in Zamfara and the Community Watch Corps in Katsina, describing them as effective force multipliers.

He also acknowledged the role of traditional rulers, religious leaders, women, youth and civil society in mobilising communities and strengthening resilience.

Prof. Muhammad Kabir Isa of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria identified governance deficits, poverty, unemployment and environmental stress as core drivers of insecurity. He called for a multidimensional framework that addresses the root causes alongside military operations.

The summit resolved to establish a regional security collaboration mechanism for the Northwest as part of broader national efforts to stabilise the country and entrench sustainable development.

Earlier, Chairman of the Organising Committee, Senator Babangida Hussaini, said similar meetings had been held in other zones as a prelude to the National Security Summit slated for December 1, 2025, in Abuja.

He described the initiative as evidence of the Senate’s sensitivity to Nigeria’s worsening security challenges and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to finding actionable and lasting solutions.

Hussaini noted that the North-west’s security problems, from banditry and kidnappings to ransom-driven exploitation and humanitarian displacement, required a holistic and region-specific intervention.

We’re committed to equipping Police, security agencies to tackle insecurity — Tinubu

President Tinubu yesterday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to equipping the Police and other security agencies with modern tools, advanced training and sustained logistical support to combat insecurity nationwide.

In a message through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, at the Passing Out Parade (POP) of the Regular Course 7/2019 Cadets of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano, the President described the graduation ceremony as “a momentous milestone” and a testament to the country’s progress in strengthening its security architecture.

He applauded the academy’s evolution, noting significant improvements in infrastructure, academic standards and training quality, leading to its establishment as a fully accredited degree-awarding institution.

Army confirms rescuing 21 passengers abducted by bandits in Kogi

Troops of 12 Brigade Nigerian Army, in collaboration with other hybrid forces, on Thursday rescued 21 passengers abducted by bandits along highways in Kogi

The 12 Brigade’s spokesperson, Lt. Hassan Abdullahi, confirmed the rescue to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lokoja.

Abdullahi said the passengers were abducted on Thursday along the Kabba-Obajana road axis, where two security personnel lost their lives during the rescue operation.

He said rescue efforts had continued toward locating any remaining abductees and apprehending the perpetrators.

“Yes, it’s true. The incident happened on Thursday, and the troops are still combining the forest to apprehend the perpetrators,” Abdullahi said.

Sources had earlier reported that about 100 bandits targeted a convoy of six vehicles travelling between southern and northern Nigeria.

The source said that the attacks, which occurred around 2:00 p.m, affected a Toyota Siena (YAB 968 AX) from Osogbo to Kaduna, a Toyota Hiace (7BGT‑78LG) from Owo to Abuja.

It also added that a Hiace (GKP 178 XA) from Abuja to Ekiti, a Toyota Carina (JMU 648 AA) from Lokoja to Kabba, a Dangote truck hauling 900 bags of cement, and a J5 bus (FTA 313 XV) carrying pepper from Kano to Lagos, were also involved in the attacks.

The source said a joint rescue operation by the 12 Brigade Nigerian Army, Quick Response Units (QRU), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, local vigilante, and hunters engaged the bandits in a gun duel, securing the release of 21 passengers, including men, women, and infants.

“Rescued individuals include: Moses Oladimeji, Adele Jacob, Obed Onche, Babayemi & Funmilayo Ajayi, Samuel Olawoyin, Samuel Job, Jemima & Nanko Joseph, and Enenche Paulina.

“Also rescued were Bright, Rachael & Deborah Enenche (9 days old), Bukola & Toyin Clement, Glory & Faith Clement, Peter Olawale, and the drivers of the Dangote truck and J5 bus.

“Tragically, one soldier from Oshokoshoko sector and one vigilante from Odo-Ape were killed,” the source said.

The troops of the 12 Brigade had in a coordinated operation on Tuesday foiled an ambush by bandits, killed one bandit and rescued a kidnapped victim along Kabba-Obajana Road.

The communities were urged to remain on high alert amid rising bandit activity in Kogi State.

Soldiers foil fresh terrorist attack in Borno

Troops of the 28 Task Force Brigade, Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), yesterday repelled a fresh attack by ISWAP/Boko Haram terrorists in Chibok, Borno State.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) simultaneously targeted the fleeing fighters from the air.

The terrorists, numbering about 300,had swooped on the community at about 3am only to meet ready troops.

The fight lasted about two hours before the terrorists beat a retreat.

The Air Force was soon drawn in and combat aircraft hit the fleeing gunmen.

Ex Governor Bello blames anti-democratic forces for insecurity

Former Kogi Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello yesterday claimed that anti-democratic forces are behind the current security challenge in Nigeria.

He said those saying the Federal Government lacks capacity to tackle the problem were doing so to thwart the 2027 elections.

The former governor spoke at the maiden convocation of the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, Kogi State.

Bello urged Nigerians to give full support to President Tinubu as he tackles the security challenge.

He added that Nigeria is capable of ending the security without any external influence, insisting that the country has capable hands who are ready to tackle the insecurity. (The Nation:, excluding headline)