FCTA orders Abuja senior secondary schools to close early over security fears
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has instructed all public senior secondary schools in Abuja to close on or before Friday, November 28, due to rising security threats.
The directive was issued in a memo dated Tuesday, signed by Aishatu Sani Alhassan, director of school services at the FCT Secondary Education Board, and obtained by TheCable. The memo orders principals and heads of schools to halt academic activities immediately and ensure students are released “in an orderly and safe manner.”
The document, titled URGENT NEED FOR EARLY CLOSURE OF SCHOOLS DUE TO SECURITY CONCERNS, also directs schools to notify students, staff and parents; adjust all academic plans; and prepare to resume on the next official school day unless new instructions are given. Authorities were told to treat the order as “important and urgent.”
The decision follows a surge in school attacks across several states.
On November 12, the federal government directed all unity schools nationwide to shut down after a series of kidnappings in Kebbi and Niger.
That same day, 25 girls were abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi state. According to a BBC report, two of the abducted students have escaped. Quoting Hussaini Aliyu, an official in Danko Wasagu LGA, the BBC said the girls fled while being led into the bush and escaped through farmland.
On November 21, the Niger state government confirmed that bandits kidnapped several students and staff members from St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Agwara LGA. The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora later announced that 315 people were taken, including 303 students and 12 teachers.
With kidnapping incidents rising, authorities say the temporary closure is a precautionary step aimed at protecting students and school personnel.
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