A coalition of Northern women leaders has criticized the Federal and State Governments’ decision to close schools in Kebbi, Gombe, Niger, and other states following recent attacks, describing the move as an act of panic rather than protection.

 

Speaking through the group Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW), the advocates said the closures reflect a failing security system and warned that such measures would worsen educational inequality, especially for girls.

 

 

“This is no longer insecurity. It is terror,” the coalition stated in a release on Tuesday, signed by leading Northern women, including Asmau Joda, Maryam Uwais, Mairo Mandara, Aisha Oyebode, Fatima Akilu, Kadaria Ahmed, and Larai Ocheja Amusan.

 

 

VIEW recalled urging authorities last week to act after the abduction of schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, and the kidnapping of more than 300 children and teachers from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State. Instead of strengthening protection, the coalition said, the government responded by shutting more schools.

 

“Instead of responding with strategy, urgency, and courage, we are witnessing decisions that reflect panic rather than protection,” the statement said.

 

The coalition stressed that the closures deepen the North’s already high female illiteracy rate, widen educational inequality, and give a psychological advantage to violent groups. “Every shuttered classroom widens inequality; every child kept at home deepens fear. This is not protection; it is abandonment,” VIEW added.

 

The group called for a more proactive national response, including intelligence-led rescue operations, transparent updates, and an overhaul of Nigeria’s security framework. “Schools must be protected, not emptied. We reject policies that punish children for the State’s failures,” the statement emphasized.

 

VIEW operates across North Central, Northeast, and Northwest Nigeria, advocating for equitable and just societies for women.