THE Bauchi State Government has directed the immediate shutdown of all public and private schools in the state.
The order affects state-owned primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, as well as Federal Government–owned schools, according to a statement released by the Information Officer of the state Ministry of Education. Jalaludeen Usman.
“This decision, though difficult, was taken by the Government of Bauchi State after extensive consultations and in response to overwhelming security concerns affecting the safety of students, teachers, and school communities across the state,” the statement read.
The government reiterated its commitment to protecting learners and appealed to the public to stay calm, remain vigilant, and support security efforts by reporting any suspicious activity.
“We call on parents, guardians, school proprietors, and all concerned stakeholders not to panic but to remain calm and supportive. The government is working closely with security agencies to address these concerns swiftly and comprehensively, ensuring that normal academic activities resume as soon as it is safe to do so,” the statement added.
The government added that residents would be kept informed with further updates.
Bauchi has now joined the growing number of states that have closed schools over rising insecurity and the recent mass abductions of students in various parts of the country.
The ICIR reported that on November 17, 2025, armed men breached the fence of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, killed the vice principal, and abducted 25 schoolgirls, a chilling echo of the Chibok, Dapchi, and other mass kidnappings of young girls in Nigeria.
A teacher was killed while trying to protect the girls during the attack, and a security guard later died in the hospital from gunshot wounds.
An official of the Danko Wasagu Council, Hussaini Aliyu, told the BBC on November 19 that two girls among the 25 students managed to escape.
He said they ran away across farmland as their armed captors were leading them into the bushes.
Aliyu added that though one of the girls needed medical treatment because she hurt her leg while running in the bushes, the girls were “back and are safe.”
The ICIR also reported how 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, November 21.
Local sources said the gunmen arrived at the school between 3 and 4 a.m. in large numbers, riding on over 60 motorcycles and accompanied by a van, and shot the school’s gatekeeper, leaving him with serious injuries.
The ICIR reported that gunmen attacked the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke-Isegun in Eruku, Kwara State, last Tuesday, killing three people and abducting 38 worshippers.
The 38 worshippers, however, regained freedom, according to a statement by the Kwara State Government on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has reiterated his administration’s commitment in tackling insecurity in the country, saying he will not relent until all Nigerians are protected.
The president, in a statement on Sunday via his official X handle said Nigeria would be secured under his watch, adding that every citizen deserves the right to be safe in any state of the federation.
He commended the security agencies for the swift rescue of the abducted victims, saying he was “closely monitoring the security situation nationwide and receiving continuous updates from the frontline.”
Recent attacks by terrorists and other criminals have worsened security concerns across the country as the Federal Government and some states have consequently shut down schools to guarantee students’ safety.
The Federal Government, through the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Binta Abdulkadir, directed the shutting down all 41 Unity Schools in the country with immediate effect over growing spate of abductions last Friday.
Similarly, the Plateau, Katsina, Taraba, Adamawa, and Niger State governments ordered the immediate closure of all basic schools respectively between late Friday and early Saturday, citing urgent need for preventive action.
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.