The Niger State House of Assembly has issued a stark warning that it may suspend all legislative operations if the state’s escalating security crisis is not urgently addressed.
During Wednesday’s plenary, lawmakers lamented that Niger has come under relentless assault from bandits and other armed groups, with the recent abduction of students from St. Mary’s Catholic Missionary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Council, heightening anxiety across the state.
The motion, raised by Mohammed Nura Agwara of Agwara Constituency, described the kidnapping as both tragic and deeply troubling. The House condemned the November 2025 attack, warning that insecurity had reached an intolerable level.
Presiding over the session, Speaker Abdulmalik Sarkindaji said the Assembly would not hesitate to suspend its activities until decisive measures are taken to secure the state.
“Let us not pretend about the current situation. The state is now in the eyes of the world due to security challenges. Investors are pulling out, and contractors handling road projects have abandoned their sites,” he said.
Sarkindaji revealed that more than 50 communities, including his own ward in Mariga Constituency, had been displaced as residents fled relentless attacks. He urged immediate deployment of troops to known flashpoints and criticised what he described as inadequate response despite repeated appeals by Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago.
Amid the crisis, two parents of the abducted pupils have died. According to Daniel Atori, media aide to the Niger State CAN Chairman, Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, confirmed that one parent, Mr. Anthony Musa, died of a heart attack, while a female parent passed away under unclear circumstances.
A total of 315 people—303 students and 12 teachers—were abducted during the attack. In response, Governor Bago ordered the shutdown of all primary and secondary schools, public and private, following a security meeting on November 22 in Minna.
In a separate development, former APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has urged the Kano State Government to swiftly stem a rising wave of bandit attacks in Shanono and Tsanyawa local councils. In a statement signed by his former Chief of Staff, Muhammad Garba, Ganduje described recent killings and kidnappings as “tragic, painful, and deeply distressing.”
He noted that the attacks threaten communal peace and stability, stressing the need for urgent, coordinated action. Ganduje also advised Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to adopt proactive and intelligence-driven strategies, referencing successful security models implemented during his own tenure from 2015 to 2023.
According to him, strengthened vigilance groups, improved community policing, rigorous intelligence sharing, and development-focused interventions were key to maintaining stability in Kano and could help curb the current resurgence of criminal activity.
