A member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Jafaru Mohammad Ali, has issued an emotional plea to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene as terrorists tighten their grip on his constituency in Niger State.
Gatekeepers News reports that Ali spoke to journalists on Wednesday after the House adopted his urgent motion on the escalating insecurity.
The lawmaker reminded the President of the deep political and cultural ties between Tinubu and the Borgu Emirate, where he holds the honorary chieftaincy title “Jagaban of Borgu.”
“We supported him. His journey started from Borgu. We won all the polling units for him,” Ali said. “How will he abandon us? We are suffering. We don’t want anything from him—only peace. My people are suffering. If I don’t speak, I fear for them.”
Ali lamented that the troops deployed to the area remain inadequately equipped and forced into dangerous confrontations with well-armed insurgents.
“Soldiers are using open vehicles to face criminals who have taken cover. How will they succeed?” he asked.
He revealed that bandits have now taken complete control of the Kainji National Park—one of the country’s key conservation zones—displacing park rangers, occupying administrative buildings, and turning tourist facilities into operational bases.
“Nobody can enter the park anymore,” he said.
According to him, the situation has unleashed a wave of killings, mass displacement and forced concessions by residents, many of whom have no choice but to cooperate with the terrorists to stay alive.
Presenting his motion under Matters of Urgent Public Importance, Ali cited several recent violent incidents, including the November 21, 2025, abduction of 303 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, Agwara LGA; the November 4 ambush on his convoy; and the November 2 killings at Gidan Guga.
He warned that bandits now use the National Park as a staging ground for attacks across Niger, Kebbi and Kwara States, as well as parts of neighbouring Benin Republic, adding that many of the fighters are foreign terrorists exploiting interconnected forest routes.
The House was urged to direct the Chief of Defence Staff to deploy better-armed troops and establish Forward Operating Bases in Lumma, Audu Fari, Agwara and Mago. Ali also called for NEMA and the Refugee Commission to support displaced victims, and for NALDA and the Ministry of Agriculture to convert the Kainji Park corridor into a viable agricultural zone once security is restored.
The appeal follows an attack last Tuesday in which Ali narrowly escaped death after suspected terrorists ambushed his convoy along the Lumma–Babanna road. One soldier and six others were killed in the gun duel before the lawmaker was evacuated to safety.
