The Centre of Educational Support for Out-of-School Children (CESOSC) has criticised governors in northern Nigeria for repeatedly closing schools in response to escalating student abductions, describing the move as an abdication of responsibility at a time children need educational protection the most.
In a statement signed by its Director General, Dr. Abubakar Isah Bakori, the organisation said the growing trend of shutting down schools without providing any structured alternative for learning amounts to a “severe betrayal” of millions of vulnerable children who risk being permanently out of school.
While acknowledging the worsening security situation in the region, CESOSC argued that leadership “requires courage and constructive action, not retreat,” insisting that school closures must never be the first or only response to insecurity.
“The security challenges are undeniable, but children should not pay the price for government failures. Every day a child is kept away from school deepens poverty, widens inequality, and strengthens the very forces threatening our communities,
CESOSC reaffirmed its readiness to support state governments in designing sustainable and inclusive approaches that protect children and ensure uninterrupted learning. Education is not only a right, it is the strongest weapon against insecurity. Abandoning it is not an option,” the statement added.
The group recommended immediate practical interventions such as relocating students to safer learning centres, deploying additional security personnel to vulnerable schools, and establishing community-based learning hubs for displaced pupils. It also urged governors to reopen closed schools with enhanced security, provide alternative learning platforms for affected students, and collaborate with security agencies, traditional rulers, and civil society organisations to develop a coordinated regional strategy for safe education.
