- Ten northern states shut boarding schools or tighten security after fresh student abductions
- Governors introduce watchmen, surveillance teams, fencing and joint patrols
- Federal Government closes 41 Unity Colleges over rising threats
- Communities urged to support rescue operations and report suspicious movement
Mass school closures and emergency security measures have intensified across Northern Nigeria as governors respond to a new wave of school attacks and rising cases of student abductions. From Yobe to Taraba, states are shutting boarding schools, deploying watchmen, strengthening patrols and rolling out tougher protection plans after coordinated assaults on educational institutions triggered nationwide concern.
Yobe State moved first after intelligence revealed threats across its 17 LGAs. Governor Mai Mala Buni ordered all boarding secondary schools shut, acting on a directive from the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. His spokesperson, Mohammed Mamman, said the closure would remain until the security situation improves. Buni also urged residents to pray for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and security agencies working to restore stability.
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Kwara State intensified surveillance around schools and religious centres following a deadly attack on Christ Apostolic Church Oke Isegun in Eruku, where six people were killed and thirty abducted. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said the army and other security outfits had been deployed to the area. The Nigeria Union of Teachers confirmed immediate closure of schools across four LGAs based on directives from the Ministry of Education.
In Kano, Governor Abba Yusuf recruited 1,600 watchmen to guard public secondary schools after the Kebbi attack that left 25 girls abducted and a vice principal dead. His spokesperson, Sunusi Bature, said the deployment was meant to restore discipline and protect daily academic activities.
Kebbi State ordered schools in volatile areas to shut and placed others under round-the-clock surveillance using joint patrols of the army, police, vigilantes and DSS operatives. The governor’s aide, Abdullahi Idris Zuru, said the administration inherited banditry but had degraded many of the groups through improved logistics to security forces.
Kaduna continued enforcing its Safe Schools Policy, which includes school risk mapping, evacuation procedures, community participation and tighter coordination with security agencies. Patrols in high-risk communities have also been increased.
The Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board ordered the immediate closure of basic schools based on intelligence reports indicating likely attacks. A parent in Shendam LGA said students were dismissed after reports of a threat, although police said they had no official record of such alerts.
Sokoto reaffirmed its earlier decision to keep all boarding schools within urban centres, saying the Kebbi abduction forced the state to suspend plans to return schools to rural locations.
Katsina raised physical security in schools through new fencing, trained guards and watchdogs, alongside psychosocial support for affected communities. Authorities said the state had recorded hundreds of school abductions since 2020, making preventive action unavoidable.
Niger State shut boarding schools in vulnerable areas after receiving credible security warnings. Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Usman, said St. Mary’s Secondary School reopened without clearance before Friday’s attack, exposing students to avoidable risks. Security agencies have launched rescue operations and appealed for public cooperation.
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Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, ordered all secondary school boarding facilities; public and private to close immediately. Commissioner for Education, Dr Augustina Godwin, said current trends show that boarding students are easy targets, adding that all schools must now operate strictly as day schools.
The Federal Government has also shut 41 Unity Colleges following rising threats nationwide. The Ministry of Education said principals must comply immediately, noting that an earlier list contained three accidental duplicates and has been corrected.
Nigeria continues to battle recurring mass abductions, with the latest incidents in Kebbi and Niger leaving dozens of schoolchildren kidnapped. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Waidi Shaibu, appealed for public support as security operations intensify across affected regions.
