Niger: Bishop, parents call for permanent military presence in Agwara after abductions

The UNICEF report has indicated that about 10.5 million of Nigeria’s children aged 5–14 are not in school, as only 61 per cent of those aged between 6–11 years regularly attend primary schools, and only 35.6 per cent of children aged 36–59 months receive early childhood education.

In this report, Bala Yahaya writes on appeals from various quarters on the need for the government to beef up security, particularly in Papiri and environs, so as to ensure children in Agwara Local Council Area are not denied education, as well as to protect the lives of the people.

The United Nations Children’s Fund Charter (UNICEF) states that all children, no matter where they live or what their circumstances, have the right to quality education. In the northern part of the country, the picture is even bleaker, with a net attendance rate of 53 per cent. Getting out-of-school children back into education poses a massive challenge.

Findings by the Guardian have it on good authority that there is no military base in the area encompassing the entirety of Agwara Local Council Area and the vast majority of Borgu Local Council Area north of Kainji Game Reserve.

The police in the area are also ill-equipped and have a shortage of personnel, few if any operational vehicles, nor sufficient firearms to tackle the security challenges. It has also come to public attention that there is a serious lack of co-ordination between the various security agencies operating in the area, in particular with the military. Both Borgu and Agwara Local Councils were originally part of Kwara State.

On 27 August 1991, they became part of Niger State. However, it would appear that the military command structure has not been changed to date. Such a laborious chain of command poses a serious obstacle to the rapid deployment of troops to deal with bandits and insurgents.

We are appealing for a streamlining of the military chain of command and a review of the co-operation, or lack thereof, between all the security agencies.

In view of the above, St Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary