The Kwara State Government has ordered the immediate closure of schools across four local government areas following rising insecurity in the affected communities.
The directive was communicated on Wednesday through the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Kwara State Wing, which conveyed the government’s decision to school heads and teachers.
In a circular obtained by Newsmen, the NUT Chairman, Yusuf Agboola, announced that schools in Isin, Irepodun, Ifelodun, and Ekiti LGAs should shut down indefinitely.
Agboola explained that the union acted strictly on instructions from the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development after the government raised concerns about fresh security threats in Kwara South.
He said the order was urgent and necessary, noting that the region had been experiencing escalating security challenges that required immediate intervention. School authorities were urged to comply without delay.
“This decision was occasioned by the security challenges ravaging the area and the efforts of the government to control the situation,” the circular stated, assuring teachers that further information would be provided as events unfold.
The shutdown comes barely a day after suspected bandits attacked a church in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area, killing three worshippers and abducting over 35 others during a night service.
Also on Wednesday, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq announced plans to push for the establishment of a Forward Operating Base of the Nigerian Army and a Mobile Police Squadron in Eruku to strengthen security response and protect vulnerable communities.