Abuja
Abuja: Schools Rush Exams Amid Parents’ Growing Fears Over Insecurity
Abuja: Schools Rush Exams Amid Parents’ Growing Fears Over Insecurity
Abuja: Schools rush exams amid parents’ growing fears over insecurity. Schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have hurriedly concluded their end-of-term examinations as rising insecurity fuels anxiety among parents, teachers, and administrators.
Over the past few weeks, several schools, both public and private have quietly revised their academic calendars, compressing examination schedules to allow children to go home earlier than planned.
What would typically span full weeks has been forced into a few intense days marked by tension and uncertainty, media has gathered.
Across districts such as Garki, Lugbe and Kubwa, teachers confirmed that examinations were fast-tracked in response to what many described as a climate of fear heightened by recent security incidents in neighbouring states.
Parents, increasingly alarmed by reports of kidnappings and attacks, have been pressing schools to shorten the term and release children ahead of time.
Teachers who spoke in an interview with media said the pressure to conclude examinations and close the term early swiftly created a tense but manageable environment over fear of the unknown.
Many had to administer multiple papers within short intervals, sometimes on the same day, to meet the adjusted deadlines.
Lessons that had been carefully planned for assessments were condensed, raising concerns among education stakeholders about the impact on learning outcomes.
However, most stakeholders concede that safety remains the priority, arguing that academic quality, can be revisited lives cannot be replaced.
The situation was further complicated on 7 December 2025, when a memo began circulating on social media claiming that several schools in Abuja, public and private, had been ordered to shut down immediately for “non-compliance” with unspecified directives.
The memo, which spread rapidly among parents’ WhatsApp groups, intensified panic as many rushed to pick up their children even before schools issued official communication.
By evening, the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) and other relevant agencies released clarifications, but these only added to the confusion.
While some officials insisted that no blanket order for immediate closure had been issued, others suggested that a few schools violating operational guidelines had indeed been instructed to shut their doors temporarily.
The conflicting statements frustrated parents, many of whom criticised authorities for fueling fear through poor communication.
This heightened tension comes barely a month after the widely reported abduction of schoolchildren from St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State.
In what has been described as one of the largest school kidnappings in recent Nigerian history, dozens of pupils and some teachers were taken by armed men, drawing global condemnation and renewed questions about the country’s security architecture.
Although security agencies recently rescued 100 of the abducted children, bringing relief to many families, the situation remains dire as dozens of other children and educators are still believed to be in captivity.
The partial release has done little to calm the nerves of parents in the FCT, who fear that similar incidents could be replicated closer to home. For many, the Papiri incident is a grim reminder of the vulnerability of school communities in the face of rising banditry and violent crime.
FCT, Abuja
Compounding the concerns is the prolonged closure of about 41 Federal Unity Colleges across the country. These schools, initially shut for security reasons, have yet to reopen, disrupting their academic calendar and causing parents to question why the government has not hastened efforts to restore safe learning conditions.
The extended closure has widened the academic gap between Unity Colleges and other institutions that are still struggling to complete their terms, albeit under pressure.
Speaking on the situation, an Abuja-based private school teacher, Mr Isaac Moji, said his school completed examinations the previous week and is preparing to vacate earlier than scheduled.
“Our school finished examinations last week, and we are due to go on vacation this week. Although nothing has been officially communicated, most of the schools in the FCT are rushing to close because of fear of the unknown,” he said.
Mr Moji, who is also a parent, noted that the school his children attend in Nyanya had already closed earlier than expected.
“In Nyanya where my children are schooling, they vacated since last week. Many parents are uncomfortable, and schools don’t want to take chances. We just hope the government restores confidence before schools resume in 2026.”
FCTA Confirms Antivenom Stock, Warns Negligent Hospitals, Gives Emergency Lines
FCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency lines. The FCTA said all public hFCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency linesospitals have sufficient antivenom after singer Ifunanya Nwangene’s death at FMC Jabi. Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe warned facilities to follow protocols or face sanctions, stressing that early treatment is critical.
FCTA
The territory has added 12 ambulances, improved ICUs, and centralized antivenom storage.
Residents are urged to use emergency lines 090157892931 or 090157892932.
FCT Police Warn NLC Against Planned Abuja Protest, Say Proscribed Groups Plot To Hijack
FCT Police warn NLC against planned Abuja protest, say proscribed groups plot to hijack. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against its planned protest scheduled for Tuesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The NLC leadership had fixed February 3 for a solidarity rally along with members of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) secretariat in Garki Area 11.
The NLC declared that the rally is to publicly affirm that “an injury to one is an injury to all”, adding that the Nigerian labour movement will not abandon its members.
On January 24, the labour body declared support for the indefinite strike by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), describing the action as “necessary and heroic” in response to alleged violation of workers’ rights.
In a statement, Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the labour union stood “in very strong solidarity” with FCTA workers under the aegis of JUAC.
Ajaero described the strike as “a necessary and heroic response to a vicious cocktail of neoliberal attacks, gross administrative impunity, and a systematic violation of the fundamental rights of workers by the FCTA management and its political leadership”.
However, in a statement on Monday, Josephine Adeh, FCT police spokesperson, said the command respects the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, but noted that intelligence reports indicate “plans by proscribed groups and other non-state actors to infiltrate and hijack the protest, posing a risk to public peace and safety”.
Adeh said in the interest of public safety, the organisers should consider rescheduling the protest to prevent any breakdown of law and order and to protect lives, property, and the rights of other residents.
Police
“The Command remains committed to safeguarding all lawful activities and urges residents to continue cooperating with security agencies to keep the FCT peaceful and secure,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, the national industrial court has reportedly issued an interim order restraining the NLC, TUC and JUAC from embarking on the planned protest.
The court had earlier ordered workers on the payroll of the FCT administration to suspend the strike.
Emmanuel Subilim, the presiding judge, held that although the matter before the court amounted to a trade dispute, the defendants’ right to embark on industrial action was not absolute.
Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting, Warn Against Tampering With State’s Oil Wells
Akwa Ibom indigenes protest RMAFC meeting, warn against tampering with State’s Oil Wells. Akwa Ibom indigenes resident in Abuja on Tuesday stormed the venue of a meeting of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), where the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) on Disputed/New Oil Wells was sitting, to protest what they described as attempts to reopen a matter already settled by the Supreme Court.
The protesters cautioned that no individual or agency should tamper with Akwa Ibom State’s 76 oil wells, stressing that the ownership of the wells was conclusively determined in favour of the state by the Supreme Court in 2012.
They insisted that any move to revisit the issue through administrative or technical processes would amount to a disregard for the authority of the apex court and could undermine peace in the Niger Delta region.
Akwa Ibom State was formally represented at the IATC meeting by a high-powered delegation comprising leading legal practitioners, government officials and technocrats. Members of the delegation included Paul Usoro, SAN; Assam Assam, SAN; the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, SAN; Uwemedimo Nwoko, SAN; Emmanuel Enoidem, SAN; and a former Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State.
Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting
Also on the state’s delegation were the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Emem Bob, Former Attorney General and Commissioner Justice, Barr. Ekpenyong Ntekim; the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Aniekan Umanah; Honourable Member representing Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, Dr Patrick Umoh, among others.
The delegation is expected to present Akwa Ibom State’s position before the committee, reiterating that the Supreme Court judgment remains final and binding, and urging all relevant federal agencies to respect and uphold the ruling.
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