The Plateau State Government has ordered the immediate closure of all basic schools across the state due to rising security concerns.
The Public Relations Officer of the Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board (PSUBEB), Richard Jonah, confirmed the directive in an interview in Jos on Friday. He explained that the decision was taken as a preventive step amid recent attacks on schools in other states.
“You are aware of attacks in schools in some states. So, here in Plateau, the government is being proactive because we don’t want anything like that to happen here. The government decided to close the schools temporarily to allow time to work on security measures before classes resume,” he said.
According to an official statement issued by PSUBEB on Friday, Government Junior Model Secondary Schools will shut down effective Saturday, November 22, 2025, while Primary and Day Schools are to close from Monday, November 24, 2025.
The statement emphasized the “urgent need for preventive action” and assured parents and stakeholders that the shutdown is a temporary but necessary measure to avert potential threats and protect learners.
The board also urged Local Government Education Authorities, school heads, and community leaders to cooperate and remain vigilant.
A resident of Shendam LGA, Moses Jeremiah, told DIP Connects Online News that students of GSS Shendam were dismissed following reports of a threat. “I have one student from GSS Shendam. He has just returned home. They were asked to go home because Boko Haram wrote to inform them they were coming on Sunday,” he claimed.
This alleged threat has not been independently verified.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Alfred Alabo, said the command had no information about any threat to schools. “You are just informing me now. I cannot make any statement on the school closure until I get a proper brief,” he said.
The closure directive comes less than 24 hours after gunmen abducted several students from a Catholic school in Niger State — the second mass abduction within a week. Earlier on Monday, gunmen attacked a girls’ boarding school in neighbouring Kebbi State, kidnapping 25 students and killing the vice-principal.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has appealed to the public for greater support for ongoing military operations. He made the call on Thursday during the Nigerian Army Civil-Military Cooperation Media Chat for the fourth quarter of 2025, held in Jos.
ADEOLA KUNLE
