From our news desk, Benin with agency report
Following increasing insecurity threats, the Plateau State Government has ordered the shut down of all schools across the State.
The action became necessary due to increased attacks and threats by gunmen targeting educational centres in the North-West region of Nigeria.
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Secondary schools will be shut from Saturday, November 22, while primary schools and day/boarding schools will close from Monday, November 24, Richard Jonah the mouthpiece of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), reportedly announced weekend.
“The action is temporary but necessary, to prevent possible attacks and ensure public safety” Jonah explained.
This is as the northern region of the country has been pushed into panic mode, as a result of a new wave of abduction of secondary school students in Kebbi, and Niger States respectively, causing increasing fears of the unknown amongst residents and authorities.
As a precautionary measure therefore, Katsina State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Yusuf Jibia, earlier announced a similar action.
The decision was “to protect the lives of students and teachers” while the State rolls out a new school security plan, he was quoted in the media to have said.
“Until security checks are completed in identified high-risk areas,” even schools currently conducting examinations for students and pupils must comply with the directive, the Commissioner reportedly directed.
FG Orders Closure Of 41 Unity Colleges Over Security Concerns
The Federal Government has ordered the immediate closure of 41 Federal Unity Colleges over rising security concerns.
The directive was issued through a circular dated November 21, 2025, from the Federal Ministry of Education.
According to the document, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, approved the shutdown following “recent security challenges” in parts of the country and the need to prevent breaches.
The circular asked principals of affected schools to enforce the closure without delay. The 41 schools are in states across the North-West, North-East, North-Central, and parts of the South.
“Sequel to the recent security challenges in some parts of the country and the need to prevent any security breaches, the Honourable Minister of Education has approved the immediate closure of the listed Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) with immediate effect. Principals of affected Colleges are to ensure strict compliance,” the circular, signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education, Hajia Abdulkadir, on behalf of the Minister, read in part.
See the full list:
1. FGGC MINJIBIR
2. FTC GANDUJE
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3. FGGC ZARIA
4. FTC KAFANCHAN
5. FGGC BAKORI
6. FTC DAYI
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7. FGC DAURA
8. FGGC TAMBUWAL
9. FSC SOKOTO
10. FTC WURNO
11. FGC GUSAU
12. FGC ANKA
13. FGGC GWANDU
14. FGC BIRNIN YAURI
15. FTC ZURU
16. FGGC KAZAURE
17. FGC KIYAWA
18. FTC HADEJIA
19. FGGC BIDA
20. FGC NEW-BUSSA
21. FTC KUTA-SHIRORO
22. FGA SULEJA
23. FGC ILORIN
24. FGGC OMUARAN
25. FTC GWANARA
26. FGC UGWOLAWO
27. FGGC KABBA
28. FTC OGUGU
29. FGGC BWARI
30. FGC RUBOCHI
31. FGGC ABAJI
32. FGGC POTISKUM
33. FGC BUNI YADI
34. FTC GASHUA
35. FTC MICHIKA
36. FGC GANYE
37. FGC AZARE
38. FTC MISAU
39. FGGC BAJOGA
40. FGC BILLIRI
41. FTC ZAMBUK
Renewed Attacks on Schools
The closure comes on the heels of rising security threats across the country, with two mass abductions of students taking place in recent days.
BBC St Mary’s School was attacked in the early hours of the morning
In Niger State, gunmen attacked St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri on Friday, abducting an unspecified number of students. Witnesses said that the attackers rode over 60 motorcycles and shot the school’s gatekeeper, who sustained serious injuries.
Before that, assailants had seized 25 schoolgirls during an attack on a school in Maga town, Kebbi State.
Meanwhile, the rising tension sparked a rumour of the abduction of students in Nasarawa, claims police authorities in the state immediately dismissed.
The Nasarawa State Police Command described the report that two pupils were taken from St. Peter’s Academy in Rukubi as “false and not reflective of the true state of affairs”.
In response to the escalating threats, President Bola Tinubu directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi to oversee rescue operations.
Tinubu also postponed his planned trips to Johannesburg and Angola. The surge in school attacks and kidnappings has intensified insecurity across northern states, prompting urgent calls for coordinated action.
The renewed abduction of students is the latest in a series of kidnappings in learning institutions, dating back to 2014 when students were taken away in Chibok, Borno State.
Since then, there have been mass abductions of students across the country, especially in northern Nigeria.
Global bodies, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), have repeatedly condemned the kidnapping of students, asking Nigerian authorities to prioritise the safety of learners.
Added report by Channels online
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