Niger Assembly Threatens To Shut Down Over Abducted Catholic Schoolchildren

Apparently disturbed by the security situation in some parts of the state leading to abductions from St Mary Catholic School Papiri, Agwarra local government area, the Niger State House of Assembly has threatened to shut down legislative business in the state if the schoolchildren were not rescued and the security situation improved.

The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkin Daji, who said he has attended security meetings where the governor of the state, Mohammed Umaru Bago, always insisted on proactive measures from the security agents, decried why the situation was allowed to deteriorate with students abducted from the school.

Sarkin Daji, who was visibly peeved by the security situation in the Niger North, posited that the state was under siege from bandits and other terrorists, adding that “These dangerous routes where these bandits operate are known to the security agents. They have only one route where they operate freely and yet nothing is being done about it.”

“I am very sure these abducted students will be moved through the same routes. They will soon be moved to Zamfara through the same routes, they don’t have any other route and everybody knows about it yet nothing is being done about it,” he added.

The speaker, who presided over the plenary on Tuesday, said: “Let us not pretend about the current situation. The state is now in the eyes of the world because of security challenges and investors are beginning to turn back from the state, and contractors handling various road projects have abandoned the sites.

“The current security situation has eroded all the efforts of the present administration in transforming the state. A concrete action must be taken if not, we will have no choice but to shut down legislative business because we are the representatives of the people,” the Speaker declared.

He further noted that, “If schools can be shut down, markets closed down, then we can equally shut down legislative business until the situation is addressed.”

Consequently, in consideration and adoption of the motion of urgent public importance moved by the member representing Agwara constituency in the House, Hon. Mohammed Nura Agwara, the Assembly called for the immediate rescue of the schoolchildren and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri or they will be forced to shut down legislative business.

The lawmakers were unanimous in their resolutions in condemning the abductions at the school, admitting that the current situation was gradually going out of control.