Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) focusing on Safe Schools in Zamfara State have raised alarm over the continuous closure of 168 schools, urging security forces to intensify their efforts in combating the prevailing banditry.

The Safe Schools’ Technical Team stressed that the only way to reopen the 168 schools was for security operatives to conduct targeted operations in the red zones where banditry has been rampant.

During an advocacy visit to the Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Danlijam, at the State Command Headquarters in Gusau, the team’s chairman, Hashim Ahmed, made the call.

Ahmed highlighted that three public secondary schools in the state had experienced severe attacks and student abductions since the onset of banditry in 2011. Additionally, five schools had been converted into Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.

The affected public schools are Government Girls Day Secondary School in Jangebe, Talata Mafara Local Government Area; Government Day Secondary School Kaya in Maradun Local Government Area; and Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Moriki, Zurmi Local Government Area.

As a result, the Zamfara State government decided to close all primary and secondary schools on September 11, 2021. While some schools reopened for learning on January 17, 2022, others in the red zone have remained closed until the present time.

The Civil Society Organizations, Safe Schools Technical Team, is now urging all levels of government to provide adequate security for schools lacking the presence of military, police, or Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel. This measure is vital to protect students and teachers and enable them to resume learning, according to Ahmed.

In response, the State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Danlijam, assured the CSOs of the state police command’s commitment to collaborating with relevant groups to ensure comprehensive security measures not only in schools but throughout the state.