President Bola Tinubu has advised state governments to halt the construction of boarding schools in remote or poorly secured areas, warning that such institutions have become prime targets for bandits and terrorists.
The caution follows a series of mass abductions of students and teachers in Niger, Kebbi, and other states over the past week.
In a statement personally signed on Wednesday, Tinubu said the siting of boarding schools without adequate security exposes children and staff to grave danger.
“States should rethink establishing boarding schools in remote areas without adequate security,” the President said.
Tinubu also appealed to religious institutions, mosques and churches in particular, to prioritise safety by seeking police protection during gatherings, especially in vulnerable communities.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to securing kidnapped victims, Tinubu assured Nigerians that efforts are ongoing to rescue the remaining students of the Catholic School in Niger State, as well as other citizens still held hostage.
“We will continue to sustain the efforts to rescue the remaining students of Catholic School in Niger State and other Nigerians still being held hostage,” he said.
The President’s renewed warning comes a day after he announced the safe release of the remaining 24 schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi State.
