Abductions: Niger Assembly Threatens Shutdown

Apparently disturbed by the security situation in some parts of the state, leading to abductions from St Mary Catholic School, Papiri, the  Niger State House of Assembly has threatened to shut down legislative business in the state if the children and members of staff are not rescued and the security situation improves.

The Speaker  of the House, Rt Hon Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, who said he had 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 in Papiri

Sarikindaji, who was visibly peeved by the security situation in  Niger North, posited that the state was under siege from bandits and other terrorists adding that “The dangerous route where these bandits operate is 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 route. They will soon be moved to Zamfara through the same route; 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 yesterday 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, while 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. Concrete actions 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

The Speaker 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 of the motion of urgent public importance brought by the member representing Agwara constituency in the assembly, Hon. Mohammed Nura Agwara, the assembly called for the immediate rescue of the children and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, or they will be forced to shut down legislative business.

The members were unanimous in their resolutions in condemning the abduction at the school, admitting that the current situation is gradually going out of control.