Bandits Burn Niger Primary School After Alleged ₦10 Million Levy Payment

(Suspected b@ndits. Photo by Premuim Times)

Suspected b@ndits have reportedly burnt down a public primary school in Dekara, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, despite allegedly collecting a ₦10 million protection levy from communities in the area.

Residents disclosed that the att@ckers set ablaze the Central Primary School, Dekara, during a raid on Wednesday, forcing many residents to flee the town.

A resident who requested anonymity for security reasons said the gunmen emerged from the Kainji Lake National Park to launch the att@ck.

According to the resident, communities in the Dekara District had recently paid the ₦10 million demanded by the b@ndits after being threatened with violence if they failed to comply.

"The bandits imposed a N10 million levy on our communities. We paid because they threatened to attack us if we failed to comply.

They assured us that once the money was paid, we would be allowed to remain peacefully in our communities," the resident said.

Despite the payment, the att@ckers invaded the district headquarters, burnt down the school, and forced residents to abandon the community.

Several communities across Borgu and neighbouring Agwara Local Government Area have witnessed repeated att@cks in recent weeks, with many villages now deserted.

Most displaced residents are said to have taken refuge in safer communities and informal internally displaced persons, IDP, camps after abandoning their homes, farms, and livelihoods.

In a related development, suspected b@ndits also att@cked Dnakau, Lanta, and Unguwan Kawo communities in Shiroro Local Government Area, k!ll!ng one person and abducting another.

Residents identified the deceased as Moses Joseph of Unguwan Kawo, while the abducted victim, identified simply as Emma from Bagna community, was reportedly sh0t before being taken away by the att@ckers.

As of the time of the report, neither the state government nor the police had issued an official statement on the att@cks.

Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, were unsuccessful.

The latest incidents add to growing concerns over worsening insecurity across Niger State, where armed groups operating from forests bordering the Kainji Lake National Park, the Allawa forest, and other remote locations have continued to att@ck rural communities, k!ll residents, abduct travellers and villagers for ransom, and impose illegal levies often violating agreements shortly after payments are made.

The recurring att@cks have displaced thousands of residents, disrupted farming activities, and heightened food security concerns in the state, one of Nigeria's major agricultural producers.