The Abdullahi Fodio University of Science and Technology in Aliero, Kebbi State, was abruptly closed on Friday as mounting security concerns continue to unsettle communities and learning institutions across northern Nigeria.
In a memo circulated to the entire university community in Saturday, the institution’s Registrar, Maimaro Tilli, announced that the closure was to take immediate effect.
Staff and students were instructed to vacate the campus at once, with only one hour given for compliance.
The directive covers every academic tier from remedial and diploma candidates to undergraduates, postgraduates and IJMB students.
University security personnel have been authorised to clear out anyone who remains in dormitories or other restricted locations after the evacuation deadline.
The institution also cautioned off-campus students, especially those living in neighbourhoods such as Gidan Rami, to move out temporarily to avoid confrontations with security operatives.
Although the management offered no official explanation for the emergency shutdown, senior university sources indicated that the decision was influenced by escalating threats targeting schools across the region.
The move comes only days after a violent raid on Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, where gunmen seized about two dozen students.
The school’s vice principal was reportedly killed while attempting to prevent the attackers from taking the girls.
The abduction has drawn widespread condemnation and renewed pressure on authorities to strengthen protections for students.
President Bola Tinubu has directed security forces to rescue the missing girls and dispatched Vice President Kashim Shettima to Kebbi to assess the situation.
The President has also ordered the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to the state to coordinate the government’s response.
The Maga attack was followed by another large-scale kidnapping in Niger State, where more than 300 schoolchildren were taken, deepening fears of a resurgence of mass abductions in the region.
As investigations continue, the university has not provided a timeline for reopening, leaving thousands of students uncertain about their academic future.
