Katsina State Government has ordered the immediate closure of all public primary and secondary schools across the state following heightened security threats in the North-West region.
The directive, issued Friday by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, forced thousands of boarding students to begin returning home hours after the announcement.
Parents, guardians, teachers and the general public have been urged to comply fully while the government continues to monitor the situation to protect lives.
No official statement had been released by press time, but the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Yusuf Jibia, confirmed to DW Hausa that the decision was precautionary in light of recent attacks in neighbouring states.
“Only examinations remain for our students,” Jibia said, stressing that the state could not risk a repeat of past incidents.
The move comes days after gunmen abducted 26 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, which shares a border with Katsina.
Katsina itself has suffered multiple school abductions in recent years, most notably the December 2020 mass kidnapping of over 300 boys from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara. The students were freed after several days, prompting a temporary statewide closure of boarding schools.
Other attacks include the August 2021 kidnapping of ten students and a teacher in Faskari Local Government Area, and the January 2024 abduction of two female students from Al-Qalam University.
Authorities say most schools had already completed first-term academic activities, leaving only examinations pending before the sudden shutdown.