Terrorists burn five schools in Niger State, worsen education crisis

Terrorists have burned down five primary schools in Dekara District of Borgu LGA, Niger State, forcing the closure of all schools in the area.

Terrorists have burnt down five primary schools in Dekara District of Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, worsening the education crisis in communities ravaged by insecurity.

The principal of Government Day Secondary School, Dekara, Zubairu Salihu, disclosed this at a press conference in New Bussa organised by the Borgu Kingdom Youth Development Association to draw attention to the increasing attacks, abductions and burning of houses and schools in the area.

Salihu said terrorists returned to Dekara this year and forced the closure of all six primary schools in the district before setting five of them ablaze last month. He said the attacks were a continuation of an assault on education that began on May 11, 2021, when terrorists invaded Dekara at night, abducted the district head and warned residents against Western education.

“On May 11, 2021, the bandits invaded Dekara at night. They abducted the district head and issued a strong warning against Western education. Since then, the Government Day Secondary School in Dekara has remained closed. This year, they returned and forced the closure of the six primary schools in Dekara District. Just last month, they burnt down five of the six primary schools in the district,” Salihu said.

“We are farmers. The only thing we need from the government is security. We can feed ourselves if we are able to access our farms. Security is what we need most from the government. We have lost several communities, and I don’t think elections can be conducted in most of these communities. We are appealing to the government to provide adequate security so that we can return to our communities.”

The President of the Borgu Kingdom Youth Development Association, Abdullahi Yahaya Sadauki, described the situation as a humanitarian emergency. He said more than seven communities and villages have been razed by terrorists in Borgu Local Government Area. The communities completely destroyed include Konkoso, Kasuwan Daji, Pissa, Gangale, Woro, Tungan Makeri, Old Gangale, Boiya, Bakinba and Wawa, forcing many residents to flee their homes.

“Families have been displaced, farmlands abandoned, livestock rustled, and businesses destroyed. Healthcare services have been disrupted, leaving many residents without any source of livelihood. Children are also paying the price. Schools outside New Bussa have remained closed since January 2026 because of insecurity, while healthcare services in many affected communities have completely collapsed,” Sadauki said.

This echoes the pattern seen across Nigeria’s North-West and North-Central, where terrorists have systematically targeted schools as part of a broader assault on Western education. The 2014 Chibok kidnapping was the most notorious example. The pattern is consistent: schools closed, children out of education, communities abandoned.

The winners: the terrorists, who have successfully shut down education in an entire district. The losers: the children of Dekara, who may never return to school, and the Nigerian state, which has failed to protect its citizens.

Bottom Line: Five schools burned. An entire district’s education system shut down. The terrorists are winning. The government is not.