In a move that shows the worsening security situation across rural communities, the Kwara State Government has shutdown 45 public schools following persistent bandit attacks that have left residents and students living in fear.
The decision reflects growing concern over the safety of learners in areas increasingly overrun by armed groups and the fear that both learners and teachers might become targets for bandits.
Kwara authorities said the closure became necessary after several villages came under repeated assaults, disrupting learning and forcing hundreds of pupils and teachers to flee their communities.
Moreover, the government’s action is being viewed as a desperate but necessary step to prevent further tragedy in schools that have become vulnerable targets.
The Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB), Sheu Adaramaja, announced the measure during an inter-ministerial briefing in Ilorin, saying the affected institutions are located in Babanla, Baba Sango, Sangbe, Oke-Ode, and other high-risk communities.
According to Adaramaja, the government could no longer risk the lives of children and teachers amid escalating violence.
“The safety of our pupils and educators remains our top priority. No academic activity is worth a single life,” he said.
He explained that the teachers from the affected schools have been redeployed to safer areas to sustain learning and justify their monthly pay.
“We have directed the immediate transfer of all teaching staff to schools in secure zones so that education can continue uninterrupted,” Adaramaja added.
The insecurity that prompted the shutdown has, however, triggered fresh waves of fear and outrage across Patigi Local Government Area, where villagers have staged protests to demand government intervention.
Last week, hundreds of residents, including elders and youth groups, took to the streets of Patigi, accusing authorities of neglecting their plight.
They carried placards and chanted slogans, warning that entire communities risk collapse if nothing is done.
A youth leader, Musa Abubakar, who participated in the protest, decried the unbearable situation faced by locals.
“People can no longer go to their farms or even sleep without fear. Every day we hear of new kidnappings, and those taken are forced to pay huge ransoms to regain their freedom,” he lamented.
Abubakar further revealed that the Patigi General Hospital has been deserted as medical personnel fled due to rising insecurity.
“There are no doctors left. Patients are dying because there’s no one to attend to them,” he said.
Furthermore, residents have faulted the state’s representatives in the National Assembly, accusing them of downplaying the gravity of the situation.
“Anyone saying Kwara North is safe is not telling the truth. We are dying every day,” a resident declared.
As security forces struggle to contain the violence, The Guild reports the closure of 45 schools may only be the beginning of a broader humanitarian and educational crisis unless immediate steps are taken to restore safety in Kwara’s rural communities.
