Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, has directed all public and private secondary schools in the state to immediately deboard their students amid growing insecurity nationwide.
The directive was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday and signed by the Commissioner for Education, Augustina Godwin. She explained that the rising security threats across the country have made boarding students in both public and private secondary schools vulnerable to kidnappers, citing the recent student abductions in Kebbi and Niger states.
“In light of the current circumstances, Governor Kefas has issued a directive requiring all secondary schools, both public and private, to function exclusively as day schools for the time being. Principals and owners have been advised to promptly arrange for the deboarding of all students,” she said.
The ICIR report that Taraba government directive is coming a few hours after the Federal Government shut down all 41 Unity Schools in the country over the growing spate of abductions and other forms of insecurity.
The Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Binta Abdulkadir, announced this in a circular on Friday.
Similarly, the Plateau State Government has directed the immediate closure of all basic schools in the state, citing urgent need for preventive action.
It noted Government Junior Model Secondary Schools would close effective Saturday, November 22, 2025, while Primary and Day Schools would shut from Monday, November 24, as a precautionary measure.
In the same vein, the Katsina Government through its Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education on Friday ordered the immediate shutdown of all public schools across the state due to rising security concerns.
The order prompted thousands of boarding students to return home shortly after the announcement.
Godwin added that the Taraba State government has assured parents of its commitment to restoring stability and will continue collaborating with security agencies to address the situation.
The ICIR reported that gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Papiri Private Catholic Secondary School in the Papiri community of Agwara Local Government Area, Niger State, and abducted scores of students and teachers, in the early hours of Friday, the second mass abduction within a week.
Several community members who visited the school after the incident confirmed the attack and described it as a coordinated operation carried out between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m.
The Head of Department, Disaster and Relief, Agwara Local Government, Ahmed Abdullahi Rofia, also confirmed the attack.
Friday’s abduction came five days after terrorists attacked Maga Comprehensive Girls’ Secondary School in Kebbi State, where about 25 female students were whisked away and a staff member was killed. A guard was also injured during the early-morning assault.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.