Fresh attacks on schools across Nigeria have triggered renewed concerns over the worsening security crisis facing the nation’s education sector, with recent abductions and killings in Borno, Nasarawa and Oyo states reinforcing fears that insurgents and armed groups are intensifying efforts to cripple learning nationwide.
Within days in May, armed groups struck tertiary, secondary and primary schools in separate attacks that left students abducted, teachers killed and communities terrified.
The latest incidents began on May 6 when gunmen invaded student lodges near the Gudi campus of Nasarawa State University and abducted six engineering students from Angwar Nizo community on the outskirts of Gudi.
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Ten days later, suspected Boko Haram insurgents reportedly stormed Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting dozens of pupils during a morning raid.
The same day, gunmen launched coordinated attacks on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State — Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School.
During the attack, Assistant Headmaster Joel Adesiyan and a commercial motorcyclist were killed, while more than 40 students and a school headmaster, Michael Oyedokun, were reportedly abducted. Oyedokun was later killed by the attackers, sparking outrage among residents and education advocates.
Security analysts and education stakeholders say the pattern of attacks reflects a sustained assault on education that dates back to the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok by Boko Haram insurgents.
Since then, schools across northern and central Nigeria have repeatedly come under attack.
Among the most notable incidents was the 2018 abduction of more than 100 schoolgirls from Dapchi in Yobe State and the 2021 attack on Government Science College, Kagara, in Niger State, where students and staff members were kidnapped.
Recent figures have also highlighted the scale of the crisis.
A Daily Trust tally showed that at least 188 public schools have been shut down across northern Nigeria because of insecurity, with several institutions remaining closed for years.
Reports from education-focused groups also indicate that thousands of schools across northern states lack perimeter fencing and adequate security infrastructure, leaving students vulnerable to attacks.
The insecurity has contributed significantly to Nigeria’s growing out-of-school children crisis, currently estimated at more than 18 million by UNICEF.
Several state governments have already shut schools in vulnerable communities over fears of fresh attacks.
In late 2025, authorities in Kwara State reportedly closed about 50 schools across four local government areas due to rising insecurity, while dozens of schools in Benue State were converted into internally displaced persons camps following violent attacks.
Education advocates warn that prolonged insecurity around schools could worsen poverty, child labour, forced recruitment into armed groups and social instability.
They also argue that the government’s largely reactive security response has failed to stop repeated attacks on rural communities and learning institutions.
There are growing calls for the federal, state and local governments to urgently strengthen intelligence gathering, deploy more security personnel to schools and implement long-term protection strategies to prevent further attacks.
Stakeholders say failure to secure schools risks deepening educational collapse in some regions and threatening Nigeria’s long-term development prospects.
