The Niger State House of Assembly has warned it may halt legislative activities unless security challenges are addressed promptly. Lawmakers condemned the recent abduction of students from a school in Agwara and demanded their immediate rescue. They highlighted the state's worsening insecurity, including bandit attacks displacing communities.
On November 26, 2025, the Niger State House of Assembly issued a strong ultimatum amid escalating security threats. The lawmakers, responding to a motion of urgent public importance by Hon. Mohammed Nura Agwara, who represents the Agwara constituency, unanimously condemned the kidnapping of students from St. Mary’s Catholic Missionary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Council. The incident occurred on November 21, 2025, and has heightened alarms over banditry and terrorist activities besieging the state.
Speaker Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkindaji presided over the session and emphasized the crisis's severity. “Let us not pretend about the current situation. The state is now in the eyes of the world due to security challenges, and investors are beginning to pull out, while contractors handling various road projects have deserted their sites,” he stated. He added, “The current security situation has undermined all efforts by the state government to transform the state... immediate actions are essential; otherwise, we may be forced to shut down legislative operations since we represent the people.”
Sarkindaji noted that over 50 communities, including those in Mariga Constituency, have been displaced, forcing farmers who once harvested hundreds of bags of grains to beg for food. “We can no longer stay silent as representatives of the people,” he said. He urged deploying troops to known bandit routes, criticizing inaction despite repeated appeals from Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago. The speaker expressed confidence that the abducted students would be transported via these routes, possibly to Zamfara, but no measures had been taken.
The assembly adopted a four-point resolution, calling on the federal government to mobilize resources for the students' rescue, deploy troops to strategic locations, and collaborate with Niger's federal lawmakers to raise the issue at the National Assembly. “It is time to set aside our differences and confront these challenges head-on. If schools and markets can be shut down due to insecurity, then shutting down legislative business is also justified until the situation improves,” Sarkindaji declared.