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‘I’ll Never Let My Child Go There’: Niger State Parents Reject School Reopening Over Insecurity Fears
Parents and community leaders in Niger State have expressed concern over the reopening of schools, citing the continued risks to children and education workers in areas affected by insecurity.
Several schools in Shiroro, Agwara, Rafi, and Mariga local government areas are located in communities that have experienced repeated attacks, kidnappings, and threats.
The November 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara, which prompted a state-wide closure, remains a reference point for assessing safety in schools across the state. Residents have said reopening without adequate security could expose students to similar risks.
Mohammed Musa Alawa, Deputy Imam of Allawa Central Mosque in Shiroro LGA questioned the government’s handling of school closures and reopening, saying the situation remains unsafe, Saharareporters can report.
“Firstly, I need to question the government’s act on school closure; is school closure actually meant to combat insecurity? If it’s a yes, then I guess reopening schools at this moment is not safe,” Alawa said.
He also highlighted specific schools in insecure areas as unsafe for children to attend.
“For instance, Model Primary School, Allawa, as listed among the schools reopened, I will never let my child go there as there has been no one in Allawa since April 25, 2024 when the government withdrew the military stationed there,” he said.
“Actually, the only modalities I would like the government to put in place is none other than to take necessary measures on combating these cruel beings. Wiping them or driving them out of the state is the only solution that will guarantee the safety of our children,” Alawa added.
Alawa raised concerns about the effect of armed presence near schools.
He said, “While I understand that in some areas vigilantes are guarding schools, the presence of armed men on school premises can instill fear in students and hinder their ability to focus on their studies.”
The Lapkama Freedom Fighters (LFF) said schools could only be reopened where there is “visible, sustained and credible security presence alongside clear emergency response mechanisms.”
They warned that reopening schools in areas with ongoing threats “exposes innocent children and education workers to grave dangers.”
LFF said they had engaged security agencies, conducted public awareness campaigns, and advocated for a coordinated school safety framework involving government, communities, and security forces.
They said they were “willing and ready to collaborate with government and security agencies on school safety assessment, support community-based early warning and protection initiatives around schools.”
Recent incidents have underscored ongoing risks.
An IED explosion between Kududu and Chukuba in Shiroro, along with repeated attacks in Papiri, indicates that some schools officially cleared for reopening remain in areas of concern. Parents said children should only return “where there is safety, protection and a chance for our children to learn in peace.”
Schools approved for reopening in Agwara, Rafi, and Mariga LGAs include Alhaji Zakari Mohammed Sani Nursery and Primary School; Army Children School, Wawa; Federal Government Girls College Staff Nursery and Primary School; and Waziri Primary School.
Some residents said insecurity in these areas has raised doubts about whether reopening is feasible without additional safety measures.
The Niger State Government has emphasised that schools in unsafe areas remain closed until credible security is restored.
Authorities have urged stakeholders to comply with reopening directives while prioritising the safety and educational development of students.
As of the time of filing this report, Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, had not responded to SaharaReporters’ requests for comment on the safety of schools in the affected areas.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has approved an extension of its student loan application portal for institutions that formally requested additional time for the 2025/2026 academic session.
The Fund disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja, on Thursday by its Director of Strategic Communications, Mrs Oseyemi Oluwatuyi.
According to the fund, the extension applies strictly to institutions that submitted official requests to enable their eligible students to complete applications on the NELFUND student loan portal.
Oluwatuyi quoted the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, to have said that the extension was part of the fund’s efforts to ensure wider access to the student loan scheme.
Sawyerr reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to ensuring that eligible students across participating institutions benefit from the programme.
“NELFUND remains committed to ensuring that eligible students across participating institutions have the opportunity to access the student loan programme,” he said.
He urged eligible students in the affected institutions to take advantage of the extension and complete their applications through the official portal.
Sawyerr also reiterated the Fund’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the provision of sustainable student financing solutions aimed at removing financial barriers to higher education in the country.
(NAN)
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has rejected the claims of high taxation in the state, describing them as ‘a pathetic misconception promoted by the opposition and beneficiaries of the old order, who manipulated revenue collection to fatten their private pockets.’
Mbah insisted that his administration has grown the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), by widening the tax net to bring in more taxable persons, blocked revenue leakages, and tackled sharp practices that drained public revenues by introducing Consolidated Demand Notice, e-ticketing, recovery, optimisation, and monetisation of the state’s assets.
He stressed that the Enugu State Government doesn’t have the power to increase or reduce taxes under the 1999 Constitution, as it is the exclusive preserve of the federal government.
The governor provided the clarifications in an interview aired by Afia Television this week.
“First, as a state, we are not able to legislate on taxation. It is in the exclusive legislative list, which can only be legislated on by the National Assembly. Whether it is your Personal Income Tax, your Company Income Tax, your Value Added Tax or your Withholding Tax, those taxes can only be legislated on by the National Assembly,” he clarified.
Mbah said that those framing the false narratives could not come to terms that his administration could scale up the state’s IGR from N26.8bn the state recorded in 2022 to N37.4bn by the end of 2023, N180.5bn in 2024, and N406.7bn in 2025.
“I think for those framing this false narrative, it is beyond their imagination that we could optimise our dormant assets and grow our revenue exponentially.
“They fail or refuse to take note of the fact that in 2025, for instance, tax revenue accounted for only N51.5bn or 12.6 per cent of the N406.7bn IGR, while non-tax revenue was N355.2bn or 87.4 per cent,” the governor added.
As for the areas within the states’ competence, such as rates and levies, Mbah explained that his administration has already taken steps to crash the payable amounts for certain services provided by Enugu State Government.
“For those rates and fees, we constituted a committee that also included market leaders, organised labour, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among others, which went around to get what the other states within the South East were charging. It turned out that Enugu is the lowest in the South East. But that notwithstanding, we crashed that rates even further by 70 per cent especiallyin land sectors,” he stated.
He, however, acknowledged the activities of illegal revenue collectors, saying the recently passed Enugu State Harmornised Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) Law, 2026, would finally eliminate road blocks and unauthorised collections that have burdened residents of the State. He added that the government will up enforcement and public enlightenment to checkmate the activities of extortionists.
“Under our laws, we have consolidated all these services and you only just have one payment that you make and you are done with all the services that the government provides.
“Some people still go about extorting money from helpless citizens because this is a practice that has gone on over the years. But we have constituted a standing task force to track and bring them to book. We also want the citizens to report them. We now have several toll-free lines where citizens can call freely. They do not have to have airtime to place such calls,” he concluded.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has disclosed that six domestic airlines may face sanctions over alleged arbitrary increases in airfares during the Christmas travel period.
Executive Vice Chairman of the commission, Tunji Bello, made the disclosure during the “Meet the Press” briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the State House in Abuja.
Bello said investigations by the commission found indications of coordinated fare increases during the festive period and that the affected airlines could be required to refund excess charges to passengers once the final report is released.
According to him, ticket prices that previously ranged between ₦145,000 and ₦150,000 reportedly rose sharply to between ₦450,000 and ₦670,000 during the period under review.
“We have completed investigations into complaints that airlines fixed prices during the Christmas period. The final report will detail the penalties, and we are considering requiring refunds to affected passengers,” he said.
The FCCPC boss also revealed that the commission has recovered more than ₦10 billion for consumers through complaints resolved between March and August 2025.
He noted that over 9,000 consumer complaints were handled within the period and urged Nigerians to make use of the commission’s formal complaint channels rather than expressing dissatisfaction informally.
“Our work is evidence-based. Consumers must lodge complaints so we can investigate and ensure justice,” Bello said, adding that the commission’s digital platform allows consumers to submit complaints and track their progress.
He also disclosed that the commission is monitoring commodity prices nationwide amid tensions in the Middle East to ensure businesses do not exploit global developments to justify arbitrary price increases.
According to him, the FCCPC has activated a monitoring mechanism across critical sectors of the economy to track pricing trends and discourage anti-competitive practices.
Bello said the commission is working with agencies including the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission to monitor developments in the petroleum sector.
On rising cement prices, the FCCPC boss confirmed that the Federal Government has set up an investigative committee to examine the situation following public concerns.
He explained that while the commission does not directly control prices, it is empowered under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 to investigate and prosecute anti-competitive practices such as price fixing.
Bello added that the commission has already prosecuted more than 55 cases under the law, with additional cases currently pending.
NELFUND extends loan application portal for some institutions
Gov Mbah rejects claims of high taxation in Enugu
FG to sanction six airlines over alleged airfare hikes, FCCPC says
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