The federal government has officially announced the reopening of 47 Unity Schools, nearly a month after they were shut down in response to heightened security threats across multiple states.
The Ministry of Education disclosed this in a statement signed by the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Mr. Boriowo Folasad.
The closure followed a series of violent incidents, including mass kidnappings of students in Kebbi and Niger states, which required urgent government intervention.
what they said
The ministry stressed that the reopening reflects the government’s commitment to protect students while ensuring uninterrupted education.
“Academic activities have fully resumed after the security structures in and around the affected schools have been strengthened. Students have safely returned to campus and many students have now completed their December academic programs, while others have successfully completed their exams,” they said.
They further emphasized that they are committed to protecting children and maintaining a safe learning environment for all students.
“The Federal Government remains steadfast in its responsibility to protect every child in Nigeria and uphold their fundamental right to education in a safe and secure environment.
“This administration attaches great importance to the development of human capital and recognizes that education is a key pillar for national growth and development. Therefore, it remains determined to ensure that there is no disruption to the academic calendar,” they added.
The ministry concluded that the safe return of students and the successful conduct of exams in several Unity Colleges underscores the government’s determination to keep learning on track despite the prevailing challenges.
back story
In November, the federal government ordered the immediate closure of 47 federal unified universities across Nigeria due to heightened security concerns. The decision follows a series of violent incidents targeting schools, including two large-scale kidnappings in Kebbi and Niger states in the same week.
The closure was formalized through a circular instructing all principals of the affected schools to comply immediately.
This week’s incidents began when gunmen attacked a girls’ boarding school in Kebbi State, kidnapping 25 girls and killing the head teacher. Security forces had been alerted to the threat in advance and had been monitoring the school at night, but left the scene before the attack occurred.
Later this week, several unidentified students were kidnapped from a Catholic school in Papiri, Niger State, marking the second mass kidnapping within days. Due to the cumulative impact of these attacks, the government has taken precautionary measures and closed all 47 Unity Colleges to protect students while security assessments and safeguards are put in place.
These closures disrupted academic schedules and delayed classes and exams, but were deemed necessary to prevent further violations and ensure the safety of students and staff.
What you need to know
The federal government has taken extensive steps to strengthen national security ahead of the reopening of Unity Schools. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved raising the recruitment target for the Nigeria Police Force from 30,000 to 50,000 to strengthen frontline capacity and response to violent crime.
The government is also supporting the creation of a state police force that will give local authorities more legal powers to deal with local security threats.
Personnel previously assigned to non-core missions have been redeployed to front-line roles, and the State Department has deployed specially trained forest rangers to track terrorists, bandits and armed groups in rural and forested areas.
Additionally, the National Economic Council approved a N100 billion fund to rebuild training institutions for the police and other security agencies with the aim of improving professional standards, operational readiness and overall effectiveness of security personnel across the country.
The government also upgraded equipment, procured mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, expanded its armored fleet, and refurbished more than 100 armored fighting vehicles for redeployment.
