A member of the House of Representatives from Borgu/Agwara Federal Constituency in Niger State, Hon. Jafaru Ali, has revealed that bandits terrorising the state have been using Kanji National Park as a strategic base for launching attacks.
Ali disclosed this during plenary yesterday while moving a motion under Order 8, Rule 5, Standing Orders, stressing the urgent need to tackle frequent banditry, killings, and kidnappings in Niger State.
Recalling recent incidents, the lawmaker highlighted the November 21, 2025, attack on St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, where 303 students, 12 teachers, and the traditional leader, Sarkin Samarin Agwara, were abducted.
He noted that 50 students managed to escape and reunite with their parents.
Ali further cited a November 4, 2025, attack during his routine condolence visit in his constituency, where hundreds of armed gunmen ambushed him between Agwara and Babanna in Borgu Local Government, leading to multiple casualties and injuries among innocent personnel.
He added that high-profile victims, including the former SUBEB Chairman of Niger State, the Niger State Electoral Commissioner, and numerous travellers along the Mokwa–New Bussa road, remain in captivity.
The lawmaker also recalled the November 2, 2025, attack at Gidan Guga, on the border of Agwara and Borgu, where three people were killed in a family compound, and their father sustained injuries and is receiving treatment at Usman DanFodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto.
Ali highlighted that several villages and towns, including Boyiya, Bakin Bara, Aika, Kuka, Dekara, Kerenji, Saminaka, and Audu Fari, have been overrun and dominated by bandits, causing mass displacement and heightened insecurity across the region.
