Northern Nigeria's schools face new safety concerns

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00:00Northern Nigeria is witnessing one of the darkest moments in education, as renewed attacks

00:07and mass school closures push thousands of children out of classrooms. With fresh abductions

00:14and government-ordered shutdowns, learning is once again under siege. For more than a decade,

00:21insecurity has crippled education across the north. Over 600 schools have been forced to

00:28shut at different times, as communities flee bandits, insurgents and kidnappers.

00:35That crisis depended this week when the federal government

00:38ordered the immediate closure of 47 unity colleges, mostly in northern states.

00:45The directive followed two major school attacks within 72 hours. In Kirby State, gunmen invaded the

00:53Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, where at least 25 schoolgirls were abducted,

01:00and the school's vice-principal, Azan Makuku, was shot dead while trying to shield the students.

01:08Just three days later, another group struck St. Mary's Catholic Mission School in Agwara, Niger State,

01:15kidnapping dozens of pupils and staff. Local officials fear the number of abducted children

01:22might be higher as such efforts continue. These attacks triggered a wave of closures.

01:29In Katsina State, all public boarding schools were shot, mirroring past measures taken during the Kankara

01:37abduction of over 300 boys. Other states have also ordered student homes, as fear spreads across communities.

01:47Experts warn that the repeated shutdowns are widening learning gaps, driving more children,

01:52especially girls, out of school, and worsening trauma among families.

01:58Many teachers are now avoiding rural postings, saying schools have become soft targets for armed groups.

02:06Government officials say the closures are temporary precautions, backed by ongoing security operations

02:12and the Safe Schools initiative. However, critics argue that closures without long-term protection

02:20only highlight the state's inability to keep children safe, calling for better intelligence,

02:26stronger local policing, and community-based security.

02:30This past week has been marked by abductions, a fatal attack, and a dramatic government shutdown.

02:38The question is whether learning in northern Nigeria can survive these repeated blows.

02:44As parents wait anxiously for word on when their children can return,

02:49many are asking one question. Are schools safe places or just soft targets?

03:06Or are schools safe places?

03:09As parents say the most effective cases,'re礼拟ing events,

03:14both organizations that need to treat these people who have not known,

03:15some people who have not known by the other people who have not known,

03:17and some people who have not known, have such plans,

03:19much like a difference to the state of the state,

03:20some people who have not known, are native تع Mac student fairs,

03:23but these are the circumstances that may not Wrestle and the United States.

03:25We have an opportunity to try to prove that they can still be a mobile tool.

03:28We have an opportunity to accept these people to accept things.

03:30We will continue to support these people who have not known.