Northern States Reopen Schools After Attacks

Jigawa recruits 9,500 guards, Niger, Benue, Kebbi, Kwara reel out fresh security measures

States in the northern part of the country are gradually reopening schools shut late last year following rising cases of abduction of schoolchildren and other security-related concerns.

LEADERSHIP Sunday checks revealed that affected states have begun announcing resumption dates after reviewing the security situation in their respective areas, with governments assuring parents and school administrators that measures have been put in place to safeguard students, teachers and other school workers.

In Jigawa State, the government has deployed over 9,500 security guards to schools across the state in collaboration with local communities as part of proactive efforts to strengthen school safety.

The guards were recruited in partnership with private security companies, while over N600 million was allocated for the purchase of operational vehicles and the equipping of offices for the School Safety Rapid Response Team.

The team, a joint task force comprising various security agencies, is a national initiative being implemented at the state level. As schools resumed in Jigawa this week, no school was reported closed due to insecurity and no security incidents were recorded.

The Kwara state government has rolled out what it described as special security arrangements to guarantee a safer learning environment.

The commissioner for education and human capital development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, disclosed that proactive steps had been taken, while the senior special assistant to the governor on security matters, Alhaji Muyideen Aliyu, confirmed that concrete but undisclosed measures were in place.

Aliyu, a retired director of the Department of State Services (DSS), said details could not be made public for strategic reasons but assured residents that no stone would be left unturned in ensuring safety across the state, including schools.

The only school officially closed in the state, federal government college, Ilorin, has reopened alongside other unity schools earlier shut by the federal ministry of education.

In Kebbi State, the government announced the reopening of all primary, secondary and private schools from Monday, January 5.

Findings by LEADERSHIP Sunday indicated that additional security personnel were deployed to boarding schools, particularly in rural areas. The director of security, Abdulrahman Usman Zagga, confirmed that following the reopening announcement, the government directed security agencies to beef up personnel at all boarding schools, adding that troops were dispatched to primary, secondary and private schools in rural communities.

The Plateau state government has approved the reopening of all public and private schools across the state, effective Monday, January 12, 2026.

The commissioner for education, Dr Kachollom Pyam Gang, in a statement, commended parents, guardians and education stakeholders for their patience during the temporary closure necessitated by security challenges in some parts of the state. She assured that the government, working with security agencies and other stakeholders, had implemented adequate measures to guarantee a safe and conducive learning environment.

She urged parents and school administrators to sustain close collaboration with authorities to ensure peace and safety within schools and their host communities, reiterating the government’s commitment to protecting lives and property while ensuring access to quality education.

In Sokoto state, following a directive by the federal ministry of education, federal government girls’ college, Tambuwal, and federal science college, Sokoto, reopened.

However, a visit by LEADERSHIP Sunday to the federal science college, Sokoto, revealed no visible additional security presence beyond a locked school gate and perimeter fence.

A parent, Malam Abba Gwadabawa, whose two children attend the school, urged the government to continue working closely with security agencies to sustain stability and restore confidence. He stressed that the safety and well-being of children remain the top priority for parents and called on the government to uphold every child’s right to education in a safe environment.

In Niger State, governor Mohammed Umar Bago approved the reopening of both public and private schools from January 12, 2026, with the caveat that schools in perceived unsafe areas would first be profiled for security coverage.

The commissioner for basic and secondary education, Dr Hadiza Asebe Mohammed, said the decision followed a careful security assessment and extensive consultations with security agencies. She explained that schools in safe areas would reopen as scheduled, while those in insecure locations would remain closed until certified safe.

As part of safety measures, schools were directed to register returning students and submit compiled lists to the ministry within one week of resumption for monitoring purposes, while local government chairmen were instructed to support the reopening process by ensuring security presence within and around school premises.

She added that the ministry would release the official list of schools approved for reopening after proper security profiling. LEADERSHIP Sunday recalls that schools in the state were earlier closed following the abduction and subsequent release of 230 students, pupils and staff of St Mary catholic School, Papiri, in Agwara local government area.

In Adamawa state, the government clarified that it did not shut any school due to security threats. The commissioner for education and human capital development, Dr Umar Garba-Pella, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that all schools across the state remained open and that at no point did the government direct closures.

He said academic activities would continue normally after the public holidays, adding that the government would not tolerate actions capable of undermining the education sector.

Similarly, the Benue state government announced that all schools in the state are scheduled to resume on January 12, 2026.

The commissioner for education and knowledge management, Margaret Adamu, explained that apart from schools destroyed by armed herdsmen or those operating illegally, no other schools were closed. She noted that while federal government schools in the state resumed on January 3, other schools would reopen on January 12.

According to her, security has been strengthened across schools in all 23 local government areas, particularly in crisis-prone zones, to ensure the safety of both boarding and day students.