The Adamawa State government on Friday mandated the immediate closure of all boarding facilities in public and private secondary schools, converting them to day institutions as a defensive shield against a surge in abductions targeting students in neighbouring northern states.
Education Commissioner Dr. Umar Garba Pella issued the directive in a circular dated November 22, citing “disturbing trends” of coordinated raids on boarding schools, particularly the recent mass kidnappings in Kebbi and Niger States that have left over 300 children in captivity.
“Sequel to the security challenges the country is facing, particularly the incidents in Niger and Kebbi States, it has become clear that these criminal elements are focusing on boarding secondary schools,” the circular stated.116c41 It added that Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri had ordered the “deboarding” of all such facilities “for the moment” to avert Adamawa becoming the next hotspot.
Pella emphasised the urgency, noting: “The government is responding to the disturbing trend of kidnappers targeting boarding students.”787734
The measure affects thousands of pupils across Adamawa, a northeastern state bordering volatile Cameroon and already scarred by Boko Haram incursions. Parents expressed mixed relief and frustration, with one mother in Yola telling ANN: “Safety first, but how do children from remote villages attend now?”
The shutdown follows Friday’s terrorist siege on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger’s Agwara district, where 315 students and teachers — including 303 pupils — were seized, and the Kebbi abductions of 25 girls last weekend. Rights groups decried the pattern as “war on education,” urging federal airstrikes and intelligence sharing to stem the tide in Africa’s most populous nation.
