Niger State, Nigeria: Terrorists Burn Five Schools, Displace Hundreds

Terrorists set fire to five of six primary schools in the Dekara District of Borgu Local Government Area, Niger State, Nigeria, worsening an ongoing education crisis. Principal Zubairu Salihu of Government Day Secondary School said the attacks continued a pattern that began on 11 May 2021, when armed bandits abducted the district head and warned residents against Western education. The schools were forced to close before being burnt last month, and all six primary schools in the district remain shuttered.

President of the Borgu Kingdom Youth Development Association, Abdullahi Yahaya Sadauki, called the situation a humanitarian emergency, noting that more than seven villages—including Konkoso, Kasuwan Daji and Pissa—have been razed, families displaced, farmlands abandoned, and health services collapsed. He appealed to federal and state authorities for additional forward‑operating bases, improved intelligence, support for local vigilantes, and immediate humanitarian assistance, stressing the urgent need to restore security and repair the sole bridge linking New Bussa to surrounding communities.