Northern Women condemn school closures, accuses Authorities of surrendering to terror

The Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW), a coalition of prominent Northern women leaders, has condemned the decision by authorities to shut schools across parts of the North following recent mass abductions.

The group described the move as “panic, not protection” and warned that Nigeria is “sliding from insecurity into terror.”

VIEW is a coalition active across the North Central, Northeast and Northwest regions, dedicated to advancing equity, inclusion and justice for women in Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by Asmau Joda, Maryam Uwais, Mairo Mandara, Aisha Oyebode, Fatima Akilu, Kadaria Ahmed and Larai Ocheja Amusan, VIEW said it was “horrified” by the worsening security situation, citing the kidnapping of schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, and the abduction of more than 300 children and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.

The group criticised both state and federal authorities for choosing widespread school closures instead of providing stronger protection for learning environments.

“Instead of responding with strategy, urgency and courage, we are witnessing decisions that reflect panic rather than protection,” the statement said.

“The announcement that all schools in Niger and Kebbi States have been shut down, along with the closure of unity schools across the North, represents not security but surrender.”

VIEW warned that such decisions would deepen educational inequality in a region already carrying Nigeria’s highest burden of female illiteracy.

“These sweeping school closures stifle the right to learn even further,” the women said, adding that “Every shuttered classroom widens inequality; every child kept at home deepens fear. This is not protection; it is abandonment.”

The women further argued that the closures hand psychological and strategic advantage to violent actors intent on undermining girls’ education.

“It hands over control of children’s education to violent actors and reinforces efforts, whether deliberate or through neglect, to keep northern girls uneducated and powerless,” VIEW stated.

The coalition called for a coordinated national security response built on intelligence-driven rescue operations, transparent updates to the public and an urgent rebuilding of Nigeria’s security architecture.

They stressed that schools must be protected, not emptied, noting that communities from Chibok and Dapchi to Yauri, Jangebe, Maga and Papiri have endured repeated traumatising attacks over the years while receiving “hollow assurances” from authorities.

“VIEW again demands a national emergency proactive response. We reject policies that punish children for the State’s failures. We reject the normalisation of terror,” the statement read.

The group said Nigeria is “once again failing its daughters and sons,” insisting that the abducted children must be rescued and that schools across the North must be secured as a matter of national priority. “The future of our region must not be surrendered to fear. Education is an imperative for our girls, and for all our children,” VIEW added.