Damaturu / Abuja — Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni has directed the immediate shutdown of all boarding secondary schools in the state over concerns about escalating terrorist activity, a statement from the state government confirms.
The closure, announced by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, instructs all affected schools to cease boarding operations “pending improvement in the situation. The directive was made following a security meeting involving Governor Buni and senior security chiefs, who reviewed the state’s mounting vulnerability to attacks.
In the statement, Governor Buni appealed to parents, communities, and religious leaders to pray for peace and for the government’s efforts to stabilize the security environment.
The shut-down of boarding schools in Yobe aligns with similar moves by other states: Adamawa State has also ordered de-boarding of students and converted all boarding schools to day schools due to security threats.
Civil society groups have reacted sharply. A Yoruba socio-cultural union criticized the closures, saying terrorists are “dictating” government policies and accusing the administration of succumbing to fear rather than confronting extremist groups.