The Bauchi government has ordered the closure of primary, secondary, and higher institutions across the state over the rising insecurity in the northern regions.
Jalaludeen Usman, the public relations officer at the Bauchi state ministry of education, addressed the press in Bauchi late Sunday.
He stated that the closure of schools affects state, private, and federal government-owned schools, effective immediately.
Usman added that the government, after extensive consultations and in response to overwhelming security concerns affecting the safety of students, teachers, and school communities across the state, decided to close the institutions of learning temporarily.
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“The government is fully aware of the inconvenience this may cause. However, the protection of our children remains our highest moral responsibility,” he said.
“Every student in Bauchi state deserves to learn in an environment that is safe, stable, and free of fear.
“We therefore call on parents, guardians, school proprietors, and all concerned stakeholders not to panic, but to remain calm and cooperative.
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“The government is working closely with security agencies to address the concerns swiftly and comprehensively, ensuring that normal academic activities resume as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Nigeria is battling a widespread and complex security crisis, marked by a surge in mass abductions of school children across the north-west and north-central regions.
On November 17, some gunmen struck the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi state.
About 25 girls were abducted, and the school’s vice-principal was killed.
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On November 21, armed men again attacked St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in the Papiri community, Agwara LGA of Niger.
The latest disclosures put the number of abductees at 315.
The federal government, in response, has closed 44 Unity Schools.
The governors of Kwara, Plateau, Niger, Benue, and Katsina also shut down schools in their states.
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