From Edo to Kogi: States shutting schools over kidnapping fears (full list)

• Multiple states have recently shut schools over security fears.

• More than 2,400 students have been abducted in major school attacks since 2014.

• Experts warn repeated closures may encourage future targeting of schools.

Nigeria's school safety crisis has entered a new and more geographically widespread phase, with multiple states ordering closures or early dismissals in recent days as intelligence reports and panic over imminent bandit attacks ripple across the country.

Data compiled by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting shows that Nigeria recorded at least 26 major school attacks between April 2014 and May 2026, with no fewer than 2,416 students abducted across states, including Borno, Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, Kogi, Ekiti, and Oyo. 

What was once concentrated in the North-East has steadily crept southward, and the response from state governments has increasingly been the same: to shut the schools and hope the threat passes.

Here is a breakdown of states that have taken that step recently.

Three schools in Edo North Senatorial District were shut down after the Department of State Services intercepted two suspected bandits who disclosed plans to abduct schoolchildren, having shifted their focus from wealthy individuals after previous attempts yielded insufficient ransoms. 

One suspect was apprehended while allegedly conducting surveillance on Makeke Secondary School in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area on June 4, 2026. The closure directive was issued on June 9.

Panic swept through Minna on Wednesday after speculation spread that armed bandits on motorcycles were moving toward the state capital. Schools emptied rapidly, with parents abandoning workplaces to retrieve their children. 

A Catholic school principal confirmed that pupils fled as early as 9 am. The chaos reflected how deeply the threat of attack has embedded itself in public consciousness, even when an attack does not materialise.

Schools in parts of Lokoja also closed early on Wednesday, June 10, as fears of terrorist activity spread through the state capital.

Public primary and secondary school teachers are still on strike, forcing widespread school closures. Only students sitting the WAEC examinations have been exempted from the shutdown.

This is not the first time Nigerian states have responded to security threats by shutting school gates. In 2022, Jigawa ordered the closure of all public primary and secondary schools after intelligence flagged heightened attack risks in border states. 

Three years later, in 2025, Kwara followed, shutting schools across four local government areas after bandits who had abducted church worshippers began demanding ransoms of ₦100 million per victim.

Each time authorities respond to kidnapping threats by closing schools, they confirm to criminal networks that a small number of armed men can shut down public education across entire regions at minimal cost. 

This dynamic has made schools an increasingly reliable target rather than a deterrent. Experts warn repeated closures may encourage future targeting of schools.

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