The Zamfara State Government has ruled out shutting down schools despite the rising wave of student abductions across northern Nigeria. Instead, the state says it is strengthening security around learning centres to ensure uninterrupted academic activities.
Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Wadatau Madawaki, made this known in Gusau while addressing journalists at an event organised by the Federated Association of Zamfara State Students.
Madawaki’s assurance comes in the wake of fresh mass abductions—25 students seized from Government Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, and an attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State where about 315 students and staff were kidnapped.
These incidents have forced several states to order widespread school closures. But Zamfara says it has chosen a different path.
“We are not considering shutting our schools,” Madawaki explained. “Our approach is to tighten security within and around all learning institutions so that our children can attend classes without fear.”
Rising Abductions, Escalating Closures Across the North
Since last Monday, armed groups have carried out major kidnappings in Kebbi and Niger states.
In Kebbi, gunmen stormed a girls’ secondary school, killing a senior staff member and kidnapping 25 students.
In Niger State, attackers invaded St. Mary’s Catholic School before dawn on Friday, abducting 303 pupils and 12 teachers. About 50 pupils later escaped and reunited with their families, while security forces, vigilantes, and hunters continue the search for the remaining captives.
The surge in attacks has prompted multiple states to shut down schools:
Katsina ordered the closure of all public schools over heightened threats.
Taraba directed all its secondary schools to operate strictly as day schools.
Plateau closed all basic schools as a preventive measure.
Kebbi shut public and private secondary schools along with most tertiary institutions.
Bauchi announced the closure of all schools across all levels due to fears of further kidnappings.
The Federal Government followed with the closure of 47 Unity Colleges nationwide.
The attacks have generated nationwide outrage. UNICEF condemned the incidents, while church authorities confirmed the number of abducted students.
Reacting to the crisis, President Bola Tinubu said the events left him “depressed,” ordering defence chiefs to relocate to the affected states and lead rescue operations. He also cancelled scheduled trips to personally monitor the situation.
Tinubu vowed that the government would not “relent,” stressing that rescuing the abducted children remains “a national priority.”
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