The Kwara State Government has directed the immediate closure of schools across five Local Government Areas following a wave of deadly attacks that have unsettled several communities within 48 hours.

The directive affects schools in Ifelodun, Ekiti, Irepodun, Isin, and Oke Ero LGAs, and specifically includes all boarding facilities in Irepodun. The government stated the measure is a precautionary step to safeguard pupils and prevent criminals from exploiting schools amid ongoing security operations.

The closure, announced by the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr. Lawal Olohungbebe, is part of an enhanced security plan to prevent kidnappers from using students as leverage against intensified security crackdowns.

Recent Wave of Attacks

The shutdown comes on the heels of a series of violent incidents that have thrown parts of the state into mourning:

Bokungi Community Attack (Wednesday): Armed men invaded the community in Edu LGA, killing at least three people.

Church Attack (Tuesday): Gunmen stormed a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku, Ekiti LGA, where two worshippers were killed and up to 30 were reportedly kidnapped.

Community sources disclosed that four people, including a vigilante, were initially abducted in the coordinated assaults. The gunmen later executed two rice farmers and left a vigilante member critically injured.

Following the Eruku attack, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq visited the community and announced plans to seek the establishment of a Forward Operating Base of the Nigerian Army and a Mobile Police Squadron in the area to enhance security.

Announcing the school closure, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr. Lawal Olohungbebe, said the state had activated an enhanced security plan for schools as part of wider efforts to contain the rising threats.

He explained that the government's decision underscores its resolve to prevent kidnappers from using students as leverage to evade intensified security crackdowns across the region.

"The measures will remain in place pending further security clearance for normal activities to resume," the statement added.

The attacks in Kwara mirror a disturbing pattern of violence witnessed in other northern states. On Monday, bandits invaded Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS), Maga, in Danko Wasagu LGA of Kebbi State, killing a school official and abducting 25 students.

Reacting to the worsening security situation, Minister of Information Mohammed Idris said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had placed the nation's security architecture on its "highest alert." He spoke Wednesday in Abuja during a briefing on the recent attacks in Kebbi and Kwara states, assuring Nigerians that government forces were taking decisive steps to curb the menace.

The Kwara State Government urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies as efforts to restore stability intensify.