Breaking: FG shuts 41 Unity Colleges after wave of deadly kidnappings

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Federal Government has ordered the immediate closure of 41 Federal Unity Colleges across Nigeria following escalating security threats to students and staff.

The directive, issued on Friday through a circular from the Federal Ministry of Education, affects schools in the North-West, North-East, North-Central, and parts of the South.

Principals of the affected institutions were instructed to suspend academic activities immediately.

“Sequel to the recent security challenges in some parts of the country and the need to prevent any security breaches, the Honourable Minister of Education has approved the immediate closure of the listed Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) with immediate effect. Principals of affected Colleges are to ensure strict compliance,” the circular read.

The move comes amid a spate of recent abductions in Nigerian schools, highlighting persistent vulnerabilities in the country’s education sector.

The shutdown of 41 Federal Unity Colleges marks one of the most sweeping responses yet to Nigeria’s deepening security crisis, coming amid an alarming resurgence of school attacks and mass abductions across several states.

The decision follows similar measures in Katsina, where the state government ordered all public schools to close immediately after intelligence reports warned of imminent threats to students and teachers.

The urgency of the situation was underscored on Friday in Niger State, where armed men stormed St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri. The attackers, travelling on more than 60 motorcycles, overpowered security personnel and shot the school’s gatekeeper before abducting an unknown number of pupils and staff.

Residents described the assault as one of the most coordinated witnessed in the area in recent months.

The Papiri incident is the latest in a string of violent attacks that have rattled northern communities. Earlier in the week in Kwara State, bandits invaded a Christ Apostolic Church parish in Eruku, killing three worshippers and abducting at least 30 others. The kidnappers have reportedly demanded ₦100 million ransom for each hostage.

In Kebbi State, 25 schoolgirls were seized on Monday during a pre-dawn raid on Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga—an attack that has drawn national outrage and intensified scrutiny on the country’s security architecture.

Panic spread further on Friday when reports circulated about the alleged abduction of two pupils in Nasarawa. However, the Nasarawa State Police Command swiftly dismissed the claims as false, urging the public to avoid spreading unverified information.