A prominent chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Buba Galadima, has fiercely criticised the shutdown of schools across several northern states, calling the decision cowardly and a disgraceful failure of leadership.

Speaking on ARISE News’ Prime Time on Monday, Galadima said the escalating mass abductions in Niger State and other northern communities are clear proof that the Federal Government is not prioritising the safety of Nigerians.

According to him, authorities have abandoned their primary duty of protecting citizens while devoting nearly “99 percent of their time to politicking.” He insisted that closing schools in response to insecurity should never be considered an option.

“In the first place, it is shameful to close down the schools—shameful on government and on authorities at every level. You can’t close down schools. What you should do is protect them,” he said.

Galadima lamented that leaders were taking governance lightly instead of dedicating their full energy to combating insecurity. “You shouldn’t have more than six hours for leisure. The remaining must be hands on the wheels. That we are not seeing,” he added.

He also faulted the government’s reliance on brute force without proper intelligence gathering, describing the approach as outdated and ineffective. Galadima urged authorities to embrace technology-driven security solutions, citing his experience in China where CCTV systems tracked and recovered a stolen bag within hours.

“To solve this problem, those in authority must put on their thinking cap and do the needful. They have tried this ‘gara gara’. It did not work. It is now time to use their intellect, use technology, and protect our citizens,” he said.

He further alleged that security personnel had actionable intelligence prior to the latest attack in Niger State but failed to act. According to him, a civilian had tracked the movement of the bandits and relayed information that could have helped security forces intercept them.

Galadima also criticised soldiers posted to guard one of the affected schools, accusing them of abandoning their duty. “Why did they leave the place? They should be court-martialled and be shot,” he said angrily, stressing that negligence by security personnel had worsened the crisis.

He urged President Bola Tinubu to overhaul Nigeria’s security strategy, abandon outdated physical tactics, and adopt modern systems that can detect threats before they occur. “We have passed that stage. We have to use technology to detect things even before they happen, and set up special squads to deal with issues as they spring up in the next five minutes,” he said.

With rising attacks on schools and communities, at least five northern states have ordered schools to shut down classrooms or hostels, sending thousands of students home. Critics, however, warn that the closures threaten to deepen the region’s already fragile educational system.

Galadima’s remarks add to growing public frustration as communities continue to demand stronger, smarter, and more proactive security measures from the government.