The Federal Government has ordered the immediate shutdown of 41 Federal Unity Colleges across the country following heightened security threats aimed at schools and students.
The directive, issued in a circular dated November 21, 2025, by the Federal Ministry of Education, instructed principals in the affected northern, central, and select southern states to close their institutions without delay.
The move follows a string of violent attacks on schools. In Niger State, armed men riding over 60 motorcycles stormed St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, injuring a gatekeeper and abducting several students. In Kebbi State, 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped in Maga town. Authorities in Nasarawa, however, denied reports of an abduction at St. Peter’s Academy in Rukubi.
President Bola Tinubu has deployed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to Kebbi to coordinate rescue efforts and has postponed scheduled trips to Johannesburg and Angola as the security situation intensifies.
The recent kidnappings add to a troubling pattern of attacks on schools since the 2014 Chibok abductions, prompting continued calls from UNICEF and other international bodies for Nigeria to strengthen protections for learners.
Government officials say the temporary closure of the 41 Unity Schools is strictly a precautionary measure to safeguard students and avert further assaults on educational institutions.
