The Federal Government College, Kwali, in the Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, was ordered to close immediately by the Nigerian government on Monday due to the fear of a bandit attack.
According to a statement made by Ben Goong, the director of press at the ministry, the instruction was given by the nation’s minister of education, Adamu Adamu.
The latest move has put an end to the school’s third-term exam as well as the National Examinations Council’s Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) (NECO).
However, the ministry assured students that it would let them know how and when to take any exams they might miss due to the abrupt closure.
In order to protect them from possible attacks by bandits who had earlier on Sunday attacked Sheda, a nearby village of FGC, parents were instructed to remove their children from the school.
The Monday statement by Mr Goong quoted Mr Adamu as saying “The closure became necessary following a security breach on Sheda and Lambata villages, suburbs of Kwali Area Council which also threatened FGC Kwali.”
The scenario was averted, according to the minister, by security forces acting quickly.
Suleiman Idajili, the PTA chairman at the school, verified over the phone to reporters on Sunday night that the administration had asked parents to pick up their children.
The government had granted the request for the evacuation, according to Mr. Idajili, who praised the security personnel for their actions.
The minister is also alleged to have given the order to make preparations for final year students to finish their ongoing SSCE exams.
At order to prevent any security breaches in our institutions, the minister further instructed “principals of unity colleges across the country to liaise with security services within their jurisdictions.”
Nigeria has had a number of attacks on schools in the past year, particularly in the northwest of the nation. Currently, banditry and kidnapping for ransom by bandits are on the rise in the Northwest.
Fears that there may be other attacks in the Nigerian capital have grown since the recent attack on the Kuje detention facility.
