The spate of students’ abduction in Northern Nigeria has forced school authorities to close no fewer than 618 schools in six northern states over the fear of attack and abduction of pupils and members of staff.
The six states affected by the closure are Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Niger, and Yobe.
The Sokoto state government has closed all boarding schools along with border towns.
The state Commissioner for Security and Career Affairs, Col. Garba Moyi (rtd), said the measure was to avoid the abduction of pupils just as it happened in Katsina, Niger, and Zamfara States.
He added that the state Governor, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal had directed the state commissioner for education to merge those schools with the ones in towns.
In Zamfara, the State Government also closed boarding schools along with the border towns after the Jangebe incident.
In a reaction to the abduction of 279 pupils of Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe, Talata Mafara LGA, Governor Bello Matawalle had shut down 10 schools along the borders with Sokoto and Katsina States.
In Katsina, the state government had initially shut down all its 38 boarding schools after the abduction of 344 pupils of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara.
But the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Badamasi Lawal, later announced the reopening of four out of the 38 boarding schools after a meeting with zonal inspectors of education and permanent secretaries.
The Kano State Government also closed four tertiary institutions and 12 secondary schools over insecurity in neighbouring states.
The state government also closed 12 boarding secondary schools on the outskirts of Kano metropolis over increasing abduction of pupils.
All secondary schools in Niger State have been closed by the state government.
The two-week closure was from March 12.
The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Hannatu Salihu, said the closure of the schools was to enable the government to make adequate security arrangements to protect the pupils and workers.
With the closure of all secondary schools in the state, about 496 schools were affected.
The Information Officer of the State Ministry of Education, Alhaji Jibrin Kodo, told newsmen that 56 boarding schools with two of them mixed are affected while the rest of the schools in the state are day schools.
The Yobe State government also closed all boarding schools as part of proactive measures to safeguard pupils’ lives.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Muhammed Idris, who announced the measure, said: “Students from JSS I to SSS II should vacate their schools immediately.
“The closure of the boarding schools is informed by the security concern and the urgent need for government to be proactive in safeguarding the lives of the children”.
It was gathered that 46 boarding schools were affected by the closure.
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, told journalists yesterday in Kaduna that security forces also repelled attempts at a fresh attack on the senior staff quarters of the Federal Airport Authority (FAAN), Kaduna, where 11 people were abducted about two weeks ago.
