The President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has ordered the immediate closure of private schools in Abuja over the increased security threats by bandits in Abuja and its environs.

A statement issued by the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools in Abuja, cited the directive of the FCT Education Secretariat for schools to officially close on July 27. All academic activities, including external examinations, were also summarily suspended.

“Dear school educators, instruction reaching me now from the Ag. Director DQA is that the FCT Education secretariat has directed that schools are to make sure all examinations going on should be ended by Wednesday, July 27, 2022, and all students including those in boarding should be allowed to go home for the holiday,” the statement read. 

“Those writing external examinations and schools that have planned their end of the year speech and prize giving day beyond Wednesday, 27th could go ahead as planned but must put adequate security in place to safeguard both students and staff of their schools, you are addressed strictly to the above instructions.”

The directive comes barely two days after authorities similarly ordered the immediate closure of Unity Colleges, the Federal Government College Kwali, located in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, due to the security threats from bandits.

The proprietress of one of the affected schools in Abuja said the school received the directive from the government that academic activities should be suspended.

“Most schools are supposed to close by Friday next week, but because of the information that we got from the ministry of education that all schools must close by Wednesday,” Mrs Balogun of Oprite School, Abuja told The Gazette. “So officially, we were supposed to close on Saturday, but due to the insecurity, we asked our students to stay at home.”

The forced schools’ closure comes amid threats of attacks by bandits and Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.

The extremists who have incessantly carried out mass school abductions are said to be targeting schools in Lagos, Kaduna, Kogi, Katsina, Zamfara and Federal Capital Territory.

The FCT in particular have come under heavy security scare after elite soldiers from the Presidential Guards Brigade were ambushed by gunmen in the Bwari Area Council while on a rescue mission. The Kuje Medium Security Correctional Centre, holding many hardened criminals had a fortnight ago been bombed by Boko Haram terrorists, freeing their comrades and unleashing other criminals into the society.