Save Our Schools: UNICEF, Bishop, Parents Demand Military Outpost as Terror Sweeps Niger’s Agwara

By Adelowo Oladipo/

Fresh fears over worsening insecurity in Niger State’s Agwara Local Government Area have triggered renewed calls for the Federal Government and the Niger State Government to urgently beef up security and establish a permanent military outpost in Papiri and surrounding communities to prevent the collapse of education and protect residents from repeated terrorist attacks.

The calls, led by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, parents, teachers and community stakeholders, come amid rising anxiety that St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, described as the only quality educational institution serving dozens of communities in the area, may face prolonged closure unless security is significantly reinforced.

UNICEF statistics paint a grim picture of Nigeria’s education crisis, estimating that about 10.5 million children aged 5 to 14 are out of school, while only 61 percent of children aged 6 to 11 regularly attend primary school. The situation is worse in Northern Nigeria, where the net attendance rate reportedly stands at 53 percent, with only 35.6 percent of children aged 36 months to 59 months accessing early childhood education.

The global agency, which insists that every child has a right to quality education regardless of location or circumstance, warned that insecurity in rural communities like Agwara risks pushing more children out of classrooms and into a future of deprivation.

Findings by this reporter indicate that Agwara LGA has no military base, a gap that also affects large parts of Borgu LGA, north of the Kainji Game Reserve.

Security sources and residents also lamented that the police in the area are poorly equipped, understaffed, and lack operational vehicles and adequate firearms to respond effectively to armed attacks.

It was further gathered that there is weak coordination among security agencies operating in the area, particularly between the police and the military, complicating rapid response efforts.

Observers also linked the security challenge to an outdated command structure. Borgu and Agwara were formerly part of old Kwara State before being moved to Niger State on August 27, 1991. However, stakeholders argued that the military command arrangement appears not to have been properly updated, creating a slow chain of command that delays troop deployment when attacks occur.

Following the abduction of children and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, about 40 Mobile Police personnel were deployed to the village and school.
Despite the presence, residents said fear continued to drive people out of Papiri and neighbouring communities including Guffanti, Sokonbara and Bako-Mission, especially after the deadly Kasuwan Daji massacre, where 42 persons were reportedly killed.

Community leaders insist the current arrangement is unsustainable, arguing that it is unfair to expect 40 mobile policemen to repel attacks by bandits believed to be more than twice their number.
They called for a permanent, well-equipped military and police base that can not only defend lives and property but also proactively take the fight to the attackers.

The Niger State Government’s directive that schools facing threats of terrorist attacks should remain closed has also deepened fears that St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, could be shut indefinitely.

To complement government efforts and expand access to education, the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora established St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, with both day and boarding facilities.
The school reportedly serves children from more than 50 to 60 communities, including distant settlements as far as 100 kilometres away, making it a critical lifeline for education in the area.

However, the abduction of about 230 children and teachers, and the slaughter of 42 people at Kasuwan Daji market, just 15 kilometres from Papiri, has thrown the community into deep trauma and uncertainty.

Residents said the Kasuwan Daji attack, carried out in broad daylight with the market and village reportedly razed, exposed the absence of credible security presence, as the terrorists operated without fear of resistance.

The Proprietor of the school and Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, commended the Federal and State Governments, security agencies and the media for their roles in ensuring the abducted pupils and teachers were rescued.
But he insisted that rescue alone was not enough, urging authorities to establish a military outpost and guarantee adequate security so the school can reopen without fear.

In a passionate appeal, Bishop Yohanna, who is also the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, said the school was built for all children regardless of religion or tribe.

“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,” he said.
“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 secured and learn in a safe environment.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, January 6, 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.
He described the abduction of children and teachers of St. Mary’s Catholic School as a grave violation of human rights, warning that the kidnapping of women and children undermines the right to education.

Speaking on the crisis, Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Barrister Maurice Magaji, said the government was making comprehensive efforts to improve security in Agwara, Borgu and other troubled local governments.

He added that authorities would not rush to reopen schools in volatile areas.

“The government has a responsibility to protect lives and properties. Life comes before education,” Magaji said.
“As soon as there is calm within a short time, the schools in these troubled areas will be opened in phases.”

An APC chieftain in Niger State, Hon. Jonathan Vatsa, also called for the immediate establishment of a military base and deployment of Marine Police to Agwara, citing the River Niger as a growing security blind spot.

In a statement titled “Urgent call for the establishment of Naval Base and Deployment of Marine Police in Agwara local government area of Niger State,” Vatsa said the persistent attacks were beyond what the state government could handle alone.
He argued that attackers exploited riverine routes to strike and escape, as seen during the Papiri crisis.

The Principal of the school, Rev. Sister Felicia Gyang, appealed to both the Federal and State Governments to prioritise security so children are not denied education and residents can live without fear.

A teacher, Cyril Ibrahim, said the school served more than 50 communities and pleaded for improved security to keep it open.

Another teacher, Mrs. Hannah Tevi, who was abducted alongside her son and husband, described the ordeal as traumatic, adding that many residents now flee into the bush at night to avoid attacks.

“We (teachers) will be out of jobs if this school is not reopened and security beefed up,” she said.

Parents also expressed renewed fears after the Kasuwan Daji killings.

Markus Abuka, whose only child was abducted and rescued, said the rescued children were being “doubly traumatised” because they now sleep in the bush at night with their parents for fear of being kidnapped again.
He warned that without urgent action, the next attack could be imminent.

Another parent, Livinus Samaila, said the school remained the only education lifeline for almost 60 communities and pleaded for military outposts to prevent the area from being overrun.

Some of the students, including Florence Michael and Felicia Musa, also pleaded for security support, saying they wanted to continue their education rather than return to farms and abandon schooling.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu swiftly reacted to the killing of 42 persons in Kasuwan Daji, directing the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director-General of the DSS to track down and apprehend the perpetrators.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President condemned the attack and abduction, stressing national unity against terrorism.

“As a country, we must stand together as one people and confront these monsters in unison,” Tinubu stated.
“United, we can and must defeat them, deny them any sanctuary.”

Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, during a visit to Niger State, promised additional resources and training support to help tackle insecurity.
He said operational visits would be carried out to key military formations in the state to assess gaps and strengthen response capacity.

As fear spreads across Papiri and surrounding villages, stakeholders insist that only a permanent, coordinated, and sufficiently armed security presence can restore confidence, reopen schools, and stop Agwara’s children from joining Nigeria’s growing out-of-school population.
For residents, the demand is clear: save education, save lives, and stop terror from turning Agwara into a forgotten battlefield.