Katsina Orders Closure Of All Public Schools Over Security Concerns

The Katsina State Government has directed the immediate shutting down of all public schools in response to escalating insecurity throughout the area, resulting in thousands of boarding students heading back to their homes on Friday, November 21.

The order, which came from the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, called on parents, guardians, educators, and the general public to adhere to it as officials continue to assess the circumstances to guarantee the protection of students and personnel.

Even though no formal written announcement had been issued at that point, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Yusuf Jibia, verified to DW Hausa that the closure served as a preventive measure in light of recent assaults in adjacent states.

He pointed out that the majority of schools had already finished their first-term educational programs.

“Only examinations remain for our students,” Jibia said, emphasizing that the state needed to respond quickly to avoid potential assaults.

Katsina, which shares a border with Kebbi State, possesses a disturbing record of abductions targeting schools. Just earlier this week in Kebbi, armed men took 26 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga.

Katsina itself has experienced numerous large-scale kidnappings, most prominently the December 2020 Kankara incident, when more than 300 boys were seized from Government Science Secondary School. They were freed after a number of days, leading to a closure of boarding schools across the state.

Additional events include the August 2021 kidnapping of ten students and one teacher in Faskari, along with the January 2024 abduction of two female students from Al-Qalam University.

This most recent closure occurs as northern Nigeria contends with a fresh surge of violent incidents.

In Niger State on Friday, November 21, gunmen raided St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, abducting an unknown number of students. Eyewitnesses stated that more than 60 motorcycles were involved and that the assailants shot the school’s gatekeeper, causing him severe injuries. The abduction in Niger comes after several other attacks this week.

In Kwara State, bandits took at least 30 worshippers from a Christ Apostolic Church parish in Eruku, resulting in the deaths of three individuals. The kidnappers have reportedly asked for ₦100 million for each victim.

In Kebbi State, 26 schoolgirls were captured during Monday’s assault in Maga.

At the same time, authorities in Nasarawa State rejected online allegations that two pupils had been kidnapped from St. Peter’s Academy in Rukubi, describing the information as “false and not reflective of the true state of affairs.”

The worsening security situation has attracted immediate attention from the federal government. President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to move to Kebbi in order to direct rescue operations, and he has canceled scheduled visits to Johannesburg and Angola.

As several states face concurrent assaults, anxiety has intensified throughout northern Nigeria, and demands for unified, resolute measures are growing louder.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli