- At least 65 primary and secondary schools across northern Nigeria have been shut or rendered non-functional due to insecurity
- The closures span Sokoto, Benue, Plateau, Borno, Kaduna, Kebbi, Katsina and Adamawa, leaving thousands of children out of classrooms
- The situation raises fresh concerns about Nigeria’s out-of-school crisis despite over a decade of government and donor-backed school protection efforts
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over four years of experience covering security issues and counterinsurgency in Nigeria and across Africa.
Maiduguri, Borno state – At least 65 primary and secondary schools across northern Nigeria have been closed or can no longer function normally because of insecurity, new findings have shown, with the affected institutions spread across dozens of local government areas in multiple states.
As reported by Vanguard on Sunday, August 9, schools were closed in Sokoto, Benue, Plateau, Borno, Kaduna and Kebbi states, with academic activities also disrupted in parts of Katsina, Adamawa and other northern states. Bandit and terrorist attacks have driven the shutdowns, abductions of pupils and teachers, displacement of entire communities, and widespread fear of further violence targeting schools.
Source: Twitter
Some schools in affected areas have remained shut for extended periods with no alternative in place. In other locations, education authorities have merged closed schools with those in more secure communities, or relocated students to different centres to keep learning going. Thousands of children, however, remain without regular access to classroom education.
The situation has reignited concerns over Nigeria’s already serious out-of-school crisis and the lasting damage that prolonged absence from school inflicts on children, particularly in already underserved northern communities.
The persistence of school closures comes more than a decade after the federal government launched the Safe Schools Initiative in 2014, following the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, in Borno state. That initiative brought together the federal government, the United Nations and the private sector to shield schools in high-risk areas and allow children to keep learning despite violence in surrounding communities.
According to the Global Business Coalition for Education, more than $30 million has been mobilised for the Safe Schools Initiative since it was established.
The federal government followed this with a National Plan on Financing Safe Schools covering 2023 to 2026, with a projected total investment of N144.86 billion. The plan allocated N32.58 billion in 2023, N36.98 billion in 2024, N37.15 billion in 2025, and N38.03 billion in 2026.
Despite these commitments and the funds mobilised over the years, attacks on schools and the communities around them have continued to push children out of education across northern Nigeria.
Benue state shuts schools
In Benue, insecurity has forced the closure of numerous primary schools across Kwande, Gwer West, Guma and Logo local government areas.
Repeated attacks and displacement have made several communities unsafe for teaching and learning, forcing schools to close and families to move to safer locations.
35 affected schools were identified in the state.
They include:
- LGEA NKST Science Primary School, Anyiin
- LGEA RCM Primary School, Anyiin
- LGEA Primary School, Anyiin
- LGEA RCM Primary School, Igbur
- LGEA Primary School, Chembe
- LGEA Primary School, Iorza
- LGEA NKST Primary School, Abeda-Shitile
- LGEA RCM Primary School, Abeda-Shitile
- LGEA RCM Primary School, Mchia
- Shisho Unity Nursery and Primary School, Mchia
- LGEA Primary School, Jootar
- LGEA Primary School, Abiem
- LGEA Primary School, Tyôgbihi
- NKST Primary School, Azege
- LGEA Primary School, Uzer
- RCM Primary School, Ikyule
Others are:
- NKST Primary School, Mbakighir
- NKST Primary School, Kurungu
- NKST Primary School, Audu
- NKST Primary School, Annakaa
- LGEA Primary School, Abur-Kpera
- NKST Primary School, Anungwa
- NKST Primary School, Gwatse
- LGEA Primary School, Aman
- LGEA Primary School, Gbeleve
- LGEA Primary School, Ugwe
- RCM Primary School, Poovule
- RCM Primary School, Ibôr
- LGEA Primary School, Kwagh
- LGEA Primary School, Vir
- LGEA RCM Primary School, Akombo
- LGEA Primary School, Ubver
- LGEA Primary School, Ageraga
- LGEA RCM Primary School, Shausu
- LGEA Primary School, Mou
Residents said the prolonged closure of schools had denied many children access to education.
Some pupils have moved to safer communities to continue their studies, while others have dropped out completely following the displacement of their families.
Sokoto state shuts schools
Sokoto has recorded one of the most extensive current disruptions. Schools in 20 of the state’s 23 local government areas have been shut following security concerns, according to the state government.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof Ahmad Ladan Ala, said the closure followed a directive from the federal government.
He said schools across the state, including primary schools, had been closed indefinitely, with schools within Sokoto North, Sokoto South and Wamakko exempted.
The President of the All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, Muhammad Ikililu, said insecurity had also disrupted boarding education in the state for several years.
According to him, boarding schools were moved to the state capital during the administration of former Governor Aminu Tambuwal because of insecurity in the north-west and Sokoto state in particular.
Source: Facebook
He said some of the affected schools remained closed.
Investigations showed that 14 schools were affected by the current security situation across the state.
They include Government Secondary School, Tureta; Government Secondary School, Tangaza; Government Girls Secondary School, Bodinga; Government Girls Secondary School, Tambuwal; Government Technical College, Goronyo; Government Secondary School, Gudu; Government Secondary School, Gwadabawa; Government Girls Secondary School, Illela; Government Secondary School, Yabo; Government Girls Secondary School, Rabah; Government Technical College, Binji; Government Secondary School, Kebbe; Government Secondary School, Dange; and Government Secondary School, Shagari.
The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the state, Manir Muhammad Dan’iya, described the situation as a major setback to education and human capital development, saying the closures had deprived thousands of children of access to education.\
Plateau state shuts schools
In Plateau state, insecurity has disrupted academic activities in Riyom and Barkin Ladi LGAs. The press identified seven schools in the two LGAs affected by insecurity.
They are Government Secondary School, GSS, Shonong, GSS Lwa, LEA Primary School, Hei-Gwe in Kwi District, GSS Fang, LEA Primary School Fang, all in Riyom LGA, as well as GSS Sho, GSS Barkin Ladi, GSS Ropp, Dogo Primary School, and LEA Primary School Dogo-Gashish in Barkin Ladi LGA.Berom Youth Moulders spokesman, Rwang Tenglong, said schools in affected communities were often shut for more than a week after attacks.
He said insecurity had continued to undermine education in rural communities because schools could not operate effectively when communities were unsafe.
Communities in Riyom where schools have experienced disruptions include Shonong, Lwa, Fang, Bangai, Tanjol, Darwat, Daku-Jol and Hei-Gwe Kwi.
Insecurity in Nigeria: Borno state
In Borno, renewed attacks have again disrupted schooling in Askira-Uba Local Government Area.
Journalists identified two schools recently shut following attacks and abductions in the area.
They are Mussa Junior and Primary School, which was shut after the abduction of more than 40 students and pupils, and Lassa Secondary School, which was also shut following the abduction of more than 30 students.
The closures are a reminder of the long-running threat to education in Borno, where Boko Haram attacks have repeatedly targeted schools, teachers and students.
The state government had previously ordered the temporary closure of schools in Mussa, Dille, Lassa and Chul communities in Askira-Uba for security reasons, while students writing examinations were moved to Government Secondary School, Uba.
The Chairman of Askira-Uba LGA, Mada Saidu, had confirmed that 39 people, including three teaching staff and 36 students, were affected in one of the attacks.
Borno was one of the states at the centre of the Safe Schools Initiative following the Chibok abduction in 2014.
School shut in Kebbi
In Kebbi state, Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, remains shut because of insecurity.
The state government closed the school following a deadly attack and abduction of students by gunmen. The closure has further heightened concerns over the safety of boarding schools in communities vulnerable to attacks.
Institutions affected in Kaduna
Kaduna has generally maintained academic activities across most of its 23 LGAs, although some communities continue to experience insecurity. Findings revealed two institutions in Chikun Local Government Area that have been affected by the security crisis: Bethel High School and Greenfield University.
Their names remain associated with some of the most serious school abduction incidents recorded in the state.
Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Chikun, Kajuru, Kauru and parts of Igabi continue to experience occasional disruptions arising from attacks, displacement and fears among parents and school authorities.
Insecurity forces prolonged Katsina school closures
In Katsina state, insecurity has led to prolonged closures of schools in several frontline LGAs. They include Batsari, Jibia, Kankara, Faskari, Sabuwa, Danmusa, Safana, Kurfi and Dandume.
At the height of the crisis, schools in vulnerable communities were closed as a precautionary measure to protect pupils and teachers. Teachers were moved to safer communities while thousands of children were left without regular access to their schools. Education authorities responded by merging many affected schools with neighbouring institutions in safer communities.
The arrangement has allowed thousands of pupils to continue learning, but several schools in frontline communities have yet to fully reopen because of lingering security concerns.
Read more on insecurity in Nigeria
Terrorists kidnap, kill 106 health workers
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that armed groups, criminal kidnappers, and jihadist fighters abducted 91 health workers and killed 15 others across 101 separate attacks on Nigerian healthcare facilities between 2023 and 2025, according to a new international report.
The figures come from the ‘Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025’ report, published by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition. The data was compiled using Insecurity Insight’s global monitoring system and covers incidents across the three-year window.
Source: Legit.ng