Yobe joins list of northern states closing schools over insecurity

Students in boarding schools across Yobe state have been asked to go home over concerns relating to security.

The development comes about 48 hours after Kano and Zamfara shut down boarding schools over insecurity.

Gunmen had invaded Government Girls Secondary School at Jangebe, Zamfara state, and abducted over 300 students.

The schoolgirls are still being held captive.

The Jangebe attack occurred less than two weeks after bandits kidnapped students, staff members, and their relatives from Government Science College, Kagara in Niger state.

The Kagara students, however, regained their freedom on Saturday.

Although the Yobe government is yet to make an official statement directing the shutdown of all boarding schools, the action is said to have been taken to avoid an occurrence of a similar attack in the state.

However, students of senior secondary school three (SS3) were reportedly asked to stay behind.

Over 1,000 children have been victims of attacks carried out in schools across the north over the past seven years.

Meanwhile, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), on Sunday, had described the recent abductions of schoolchildren as “grand design” to discourage the growth of the region through education.