Adamawa State Govt Orders Immediate Shutdown of Boarding Schools, Converts Them to Day-Only Operations Amid Surging Insecurity

By Emmanuel Kwada

In a swift response to escalating security threats across northern Nigeria, the Adamawa State Government has mandated the immediate closure of all boarding facilities in public and private secondary schools statewide, restricting operations to day-only classes until further notice.

The directive, issued late Friday by Education Commissioner Dr. Umar Garba Pella, cites recent mass abductions in neighboring Niger and Kebbi states as the primary catalyst for the precautionary measure.

The order comes just one day after gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State’s remote Papiri community, abducting at least 303 pupils and 12 teachers in one of the largest school kidnappings in recent years.

This brazen attack followed a similar raid on November 17 at Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Kebbi’s Maga town, where armed bandits killed a school guard, injured another, and kidnapped 25 female students 23 of whom remain missing despite a rescue operation involving police, military, and local volunteers.

Authorities in Kebbi have raised alarms over a suspicious withdrawal of military personnel just 45 minutes before the assault, prompting Governor Nasir Idris to demand a full investigation into potential lapses.

“Considering this ugly situation in the country, I am directed by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Adamawa State, Hon. (Dr.) Ahmadu Umar Fintiri, to deboard all boarding schools across the State, be it public or private schools,” Pella stated in the official circular dated November 22, 2025.

“They should all operate as day schools for the moment. Therefore, by this letter, all principals and proprietors of public and private schools should deboard their respective boarding schools without further delay.”

The decision underscores a growing wave of school-targeted violence in Nigeria’s northwest and north-central regions, where armed groups often motivated by ransom demands have increasingly focused on vulnerable boarding institutions.

Adamawa, which borders both Niger and Kebbi, has long grappled with spillover effects from Boko Haram insurgency and banditry, though no attacks have struck its schools in recent weeks. The state’s 379 unfenced secondary schools, including many boarding facilities, heighten these risks, according to a recent federal audit.

Governor Fintiri’s administration, which has prioritized education under its Eight-Point Agenda including the recruitment of 5,000 new teachers and the construction of mega science schools framed the shutdown as a temporary safeguard to protect students.

Pella emphasized that the move prevents Adamawa from becoming “the next headline” in a pattern of abductions that has displaced thousands of children and deepened the national out-of-school crisis, already affecting over 18 million youths nationwide.

Regional Ripple Effects: A Cascade of Closures

Adamawa’s action is part of a broader regional lockdown. Niger State declared an indefinite school closure on Saturday, effectively launching an early Christmas holiday, while Kebbi has shuttered all primary and secondary institutions in affected zones.

Neighboring Yobe, Taraba, and Plateau states followed suit within hours, ordering boarding schools to convert to day operations amid heightened security alerts.