Nigeria’s education sector has been thrown into fresh turmoil following the Federal Government’s decision to shut down 41 Federal Unity Colleges as student abductions continue to surge across several states.

The unprecedented move, announced in a circular by the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Binta Abdulkadir, reflects what officials describe as a “rapidly deteriorating security climate” that poses immediate danger to students and staff.

The circular, approved by the Minister of Education, directed principals of the affected colleges to close their schools without delay to prevent further attacks by armed groups terrorising communities across the North and parts of the Middle Belt.

The list of affected institutions cuts across 15 states and includes some of the country’s oldest and most populous unity colleges, such as FGGC Zaria, FGC Daura, FGC Gusau, FGGC Birnin Yauri, FGC Ilorin, FGGC Bwari, FGGC Potiskum, and FTC Michika. The closures signal the breadth of insecurity now gripping the nation’s educational system.

The latest directive follows a string of violent kidnappings targeting schools. Earlier this week, terrorists stormed St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, abducting several students. The attack came barely days after 25 students were kidnapped in Maga, Kebbi State, further intensifying public anxiety.

The situation worsened on Thursday when more than 50 schools in Kwara State were shut down after bandits invaded multiple communities, forcing education authorities to act.

With the wave of abductions spreading, President Bola Tinubu cancelled his planned trips to South Africa and Angola to coordinate an emergency security response, amid mounting concerns that Nigeria’s classrooms are becoming increasingly unsafe.

Parents across affected states have expressed fear, frustration, and uncertainty over when their children will return to school, while education stakeholders warn that the closures may worsen learning gaps already deepened by insecurity.

As the government races to contain the crisis, the shutdown of 41 unity schools stands as one of the strongest indicators yet of the growing threat facing Nigeria’s youth and the country’s fragile education system.