The management of Abdullahi Fodio University of Science and Technology, Aliero, in Kebbi State, has ordered the immediate closure of the institution, directing all staff and students to vacate the campus without delay.

In an official memo issued by the Office of the Registrar and Secretary to Council, the university announced that the shutdown takes effect immediately. The directive affects all categories of students, including postgraduate, undergraduate, diploma, remedial and IJMB students.

The notice, signed by Registrar Maimaro Tilli, instructed students to leave the university premises within one hour of the announcement. It further warned that the institution’s Security Division has been mandated to evacuate any student found within the hostels or other restricted areas on campus.

Students residing off campus, particularly in areas such as Gidan Rami, were also advised to vacate their residences to avoid what the memo described as “embarrassment” by university security personnel.

No official reason was provided for the sudden closure, and the university stated that the shutdown would remain in effect until further notice.

However, credible sources suggested that the directive may be connected to heightened security threats currently affecting educational institutions across northern Nigeria.

On Monday, gunmen abducted about 24 students at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi State.

The vice principal of the school was said to have been killed while attempting to stop the bandits from taking the students.

Monday’s mass abduction has drawn outrage from within and outside the country. Following the incident, President Bola Tinubu ordered security agencies to rescue the students.

He sent Vice President Kashim Shettima to the North-West state over the matter. During the visit, the VP re-echoed Tinubu’s commitment to the rescue of the students and the security of the citizens.

Already, the president has ordered the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mattawalle, to relocate to Kebbi as part of measures to ensure the safe return of the students.

The Kebbi mass kidnapping was followed by a similar one in Niger State, North-Central where over 300 students where whisked away. (Channels TV)