The Federal Government of Nigeria has ordered the immediate closure of 47 Unity Schools (Federal Government owned Schools) across the country following the escalating security concerns.
The directive was issued on November 21, 2025, by the Federal Ministry of Education and signed by Hajia Binta Abdulkadir, Director of Senior Secondary Education, on behalf of the Minister of Education.
The shutdown was approved sequel to the recent security challenges in some parts of the country and the need to prevent any security breaches, according to the circular.
It added that the principals of all the affected Federal Unity Colleges have been instructed to comply without delay.
The move affects many federal institutions, including Federal Government Colleges, Federal Science Colleges, Federal Girls’ Colleges, and Federal Technical Colleges spread across the volatile regions in the North-West, North-East, North-Central, and parts of the South of Nigeria.
The closure comes amid a spike in high-profile school kidnappings in Nigeria:
For instance, in Niger State, gunmen attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School in the Papiri community (Agwara LGA) early in the morning of Friday, abducting about 215 pupils and 12 teachers, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria.
In Katsina State, a report by Oxford Policy Management in collaboration with UNICEF and the state’s Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education found that 330 students were abducted between 2020 and 2025 in the Batsari, Faskari and Kankara Local Government Areas.
According to the report, insecurity has resulted in the shutdown of 52 schools over the same period, and many students and teachers say they feel unsafe.
These incidents have reignited fears over the safety of schoolchildren and prompted state governments, including Katsina State to shut down schools preemptively.
GIK/APA
