By Eteteonline
Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014. Over 80 of the girls remain unaccounted for to this day. Since then, kidnappings and school attacks have persisted.
Schoolgirls were kidnapped from Government Girls Secondary School in the Maga region of Kebbi State on 17 November, 2025. Three days later, 315 pupils and 12 instructors were kidnapped from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in the Agwara Local Government region of Niger State, after
State governments are closing schools in reaction to recent attacks. The growth of education is being hampered by this wave of intentional shutdowns that is spreading through states.
Due to recent difficulties and the necessity to avoid breaches, the federal government closed forty-one Unity Colleges. Schools have been closed from Niger to the Plateau and from Kebbi to Katsina. Except for the College of Nursing Sciences in Birnin Kebbi, all public and private secondary schools as well as all postsecondary educational establishments in the state were ordered to close by the Kebbi State Government.
The immediate closure of all public elementary and secondary schools was mandated by the state administration. Due to ongoing security issues, the Yobe State Government has mandated the closure of all boarding secondary schools in the state. Due to increased insecurity in some communities, the state administration of Kwara State ordered the shutdown of schools in four local government areas.
All public and private primary and secondary schools in the state of Niger were ordered to close by the government. On Saturday, November 22, Governor Mohammed Umar Bago issued the order, stating that all Islamic and missionary institutions as well as Federal Government Colleges, including the Federal Government College (FGC) in Minna, would be closed until further notice.
Citing immediate security concerns, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has reportedly ordered all public senior secondary schools in Abuja to close by Friday, November 28 at the latest. Heads of schools and principals were told to stop all academic activities. According to reports, the FCTA also mandated that schools inform students, faculty, and parents to modify all planned academic activities and get ready to continue on the following official school day unless further instructions are given.
The FCTA administration, however, has refuted rumors that all government schools in the Federal Capital Territory were given orders to close by November 28, 2025.
In Cross River State, things are different. Professor Stephen Oday, the Cross River State Commissioner for Education, has refuted rumors that the state government had mandated school closures due to security concerns, calling them unfounded, deceptive, and untrue.
The closing of schools has drawn criticism from the administration since it represents a new low in Nigeria’s fight against insecurity. Amnesty International has denounced the government’s security tactics and denounced the kidnappings. The closure of 41 Unity Colleges is a recognition of the incapacity to safeguard pupils in high-risk locations.
President Tinubu has promised to make every effort to free everyone who has been abducted. “Let me be clear: I will not relent,” he said. Every Nigerian, in every state, has the right to safety; under my leadership, we will safeguard this country and its citizens.
The President has declared that the 24 kidnapped schoolgirls in Kebbi State have been rescued, fulfilling that pledge. “I am relieved that all 24 girls have been accounted for,” declared President Tinubu. In order to prevent similar kidnapping incidents, the government urgently needs to deploy more boots on the ground in the risk locations, the President said.
Education suffers as a result of the attack on schools and the ensuing closure. It is important to remember that while education offers sufficient learning, children are denied the chance to advance academically while schools are closed.
Due to disruptions in instruction, decreased enrollment and attendance, staff and student fatalities, infrastructure damage, and psychological trauma, insecurity has a detrimental effect on education. This can ultimately impede long-term growth by resulting in lower investment in education, an unpredictable academic calendar, and increased dropout rates, especially for girls.
Nigeria cannot afford to lose the fight against terrorists and bandits as it struggles with insecurity and millions of children who are not attending school.
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