Niger North, A Region Under Siege
By Comrade-Zakari Y Adamu Kontagora
Niger North is under siege. The region has slipped into a painful reality where villages are attacked without warning, schoolchildren are abducted, farmers are killed on their fields, and entire communities flee in search of safety that has long disappeared. From Agwara to Borgu, from Mariga to Magama, from Mariga to Kontagora, from Mariga to Rijau, from Mariga across Mashegu, and further toward the Babanna axis, insecurity has tightened its grip with frightening intensity. Bandits, kidnappers, Lakurawa, Mamuda and other violent groups now operate with boldness, leaving fear, hunger, and displacement across our communities. Yet, throughout this long and agonizing period, Governor Mohammed Umar Bago’s silence has been one of the most painful parts of the crisis.
As villages such as Kakihum, Kumbashi, Dusai, Kuimo, Magaman Daji, Atabo, Zoma, Ibeto, Anaba, Libele, Isanah, Tashan Allura, Kanfanin Jibril, Magaman Matane, Dutsen Magaji, Ragada, Ramu, Gulbin Boka, Lumma, Bako-Mission, Mago, Kulho, Mazakuka, Rijiyar Nagwamatse and many others suffered repeated attacks, residents kept waiting for their government to show presence. Families living between Kontagora and Rijau axis cried for help. Farmers in Bangi and Tashan-Dogo abandoned their farmlands. Communities in Magama, Mashegu and Mariga fled their homes. Yet there was no loud public address, no visible reassurance, no consistent government sympathy, and no forceful response matching the scale of the crisis. The silence was deafening.
It took the abduction of pupils and teachers of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri in Agwara local government, for Governor Bago to finally speak publicly and visit Borgu. But citizens still ask. What about the countless incidents before Papiri? What about the earlier mass kidnappings in Mariga? The killings in Mashegu? The gun attacks across Magama? The torment of Kontagora axis? The suffering around Babanna? And the multiple villages now deserted across Niger North? Leadership is not only about reacting to one incident, it is about standing strong through every storm.
The recent directive to close all schools may temporarily reduce the risk of further abductions, but it does not solve insecurity. It is simply a protective stopgap, not a long-term strategy. The children of Niger cannot remain out of school forever, and fear cannot govern our educational system.
Real solutions lie in going directly after the foundations of terrorism and banditry. First, the governor must ensure that the major infiltration corridor used by criminals from Zamfara, Katsina, and Birnin Gwari is shut down. This route—Sangeko → Dogon Dawa → Mailaka → Kurigi—is the primary gateway for terrorists entering our part of Niger State. Although Governor Bago asked the military to block it, a request alone is not action. The governor must follow up, support, fund, and personally reinforce this mission to ensure the military has everything needed to seal the corridor permanently.
Secondly, the hideouts inside Kontagora Barrack Forest remain a major engine of attacks in the region, while the difficult terrain of Kanji National Park (Ibbi–Zugurma Sector and Borgu Sector), continues to provide safe passage for armed groups. These areas must be cleared, monitored, and dominated by well-equipped security personnel through continuous operations, not seasonal deployments.
Niger State must now treat insecurity as a full-scale emergency, launching coordinated and forceful operations to block the Sangeko–Dogon Dawa–Mailaka–Kurigi infiltration route, reinforce security presence around Kontagora Barrack Forest, sustain aggressive operations inside Kanji National Park’s Ibbi–Zugurma and Borgu Sectors, tighten surveillance and rapid-response units across Babanna, Magama, Rijau, and Mariga, enhance mobility for soldiers and local security teams, and provide continuous operational logistics, welfare, equipment, and intelligence support. Anything less will keep communities exposed to daily violence.
It is also time for Governor Bago to emulate his counterparts in Kebbi, Kano, and Nasarawa, who not only support their security personnel with resources, vehicles, intelligence tools, and welfare, but also show up immediately whenever incidents occur. These governors stand with their people, comfort victims, and confront threats boldly. Niger State deserves the same quality of leadership.
The insecurity crisis in Niger North has reached a dangerous threshold. The people no longer need silence, delayed reactions, or temporary directives, they need decisive leadership, strategic action, and consistent presence. Governor Bago must now choose action over hesitation, empathy over silence, and responsibility over indifference.
Comrade-Zakari Y Adamu Kontagora is a Journalist and Citizen Advocate for Security In Niger North, Niger State & Nigeria
