Schools across Kaduna State were on Thursday abruptly shut down over alleged security threats issued by armed bandits.

Though the Kaduna State Government had yet to make any official pronouncement as of Thursday night, several teachers and school administrators confirmed that some institutions received written threat letters suspected to have come from bandit groups. The development forced many schools to end the academic term earlier than scheduled.

The abrupt closure sparked confusion among parents, pupils and education stakeholders, with school heads scrambling to complete first-term examinations and directing students to vacate immediately.

At the Federal Government College (FGC), Kaduna, parents received an emergency notice via the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) WhatsApp platform. The circular, signed by the PTA Secretary and posted by the Chairman, Mr Abdul Audu, said the school was acting in compliance with a directive purportedly issued to all boarding schools in the state.

The message read in part, “The school has been directed to close in compliance with the Kaduna State stance that all boarding schools in the state should close. As of 4 PM, parents who can should come and pick up their wards today.”

The announcement triggered panic among parents, many of whom abandoned their activities to rush to the school.

A mother who preferred anonymity said, “Once I saw the message, I rushed down immediately. With what has happened in previous years, nobody wants to take chances.”

A senior teacher in one of the affected schools disclosed that the alleged threat letters forced a hurried adjustment of the examination timetable.

“We were meant to start exams on November 26 and end the following Wednesday,” he said.

“But everything had to be squeezed into four days. The official closing date was December 11.”

He noted that teachers were under pressure, administering multiple papers daily to beat the emergency timeline.

Another teacher described the atmosphere as distressing, “It has been chaotic. Everyone is afraid. Even the children are frightened.”

The absence of a formal explanation from the Ministry of Education or security agencies has further heightened public anxiety.

A teacher in Kaduna North said, “If the threat is real, the government should say so. If not, they should also clarify. This silence is the reason people are panicking.”

Parents also expressed frustration over what they called a lack of transparency.

“We deserve to know what is happening,” a father in Barnawa said. “You don’t just shut schools without telling us why.”

The development comes amid renewed fears over school safety in Northern Nigeria, where kidnapping-for-ransom has remained a major concern. Kaduna, Zamfara and Niger states have suffered several mass abductions of students in recent years.

Security analysts say anonymous threat letters—real or fabricated—cannot be ignored. A retired security officer said,

“When bandits circulate threats, you don’t gamble with children’s lives. Closing schools is the usual preventive response.”

With schools now shut indefinitely, parents, teachers and pupils are anxiously awaiting official communication from the state government. (Vanguard)