By Ado Oyeyemi
The principal of Government Day Secondary School, Dekara, in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, Zubairu Salihu, has narrated how terrorists forced the closure of his school after warning residents against Western education before setting several schools ablaze.
Salihu spoke during a press conference organised by the Borgu Kingdom Youth Development Association in New Bussa at the weekend to draw attention to the worsening insecurity, kidnappings and destruction of communities across the area.
He recalled that armed men stormed Dekara on May 11, 2021, abducted the district head and ordered residents to shut down all schools, threatening anyone who defied the directive.
According to him, the Government Day Secondary School has remained closed since the attack, while the terrorists returned this year to force the closure of six primary schools in the district.
He added that five of the six primary schools were recently burnt by the attackers, leaving children without access to education.
“Since 2021, we have lost our education. They warned us against Western education after abducting our district head, and our secondary school has remained closed.
This year, they shut down the six primary schools in the district, and just last month they burnt five of them,” Salihu said.
The school principal appealed to the government to strengthen security in the area, stressing that residents only wanted safe access to their farms and communities.
“We are farmers. If security is restored, we can feed ourselves. Many communities have been abandoned, and I doubt elections can be conducted in most of them unless peace returns,” he added.
Also speaking, President of the Borgu Kingdom Youth Development Association, Abdullahi Yahaya Sadauki, described the security situation as a humanitarian crisis, saying terrorists had razed more than seven communities and villages across the local government.
He listed some of the affected communities as Konkoso, Kasuwan Daji, Pissa, Gangale, Woro, Tungan Makeri, Old Gangale, Boiya, Bakinba and Wawa, noting that thousands of residents had been displaced.
Sadauki said the attacks had forced families to flee, while farmlands were abandoned, livestock stolen and businesses destroyed.
He added that healthcare services had collapsed in several affected communities, while schools outside New Bussa had remained shut since January 2026 because of persistent insecurity.
He urged the Federal Government and the Niger State Government to take urgent steps to end the attacks, warning that residents now live in constant fear.
The youth leader also expressed concern over the damaged bridge linking New Bussa to several communities, saying it had remained unrepaired for more than three months, hampering movement and emergency response.
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He called for additional military forward operating bases in vulnerable communities, improved intelligence gathering, stronger support for local vigilante groups, immediate humanitarian assistance for displaced residents and intensified efforts to rescue those still being held captive by terrorists.
