A coalition of prominent Northern women has strongly criticised the shutdown of schools across parts of the North following a surge in kidnappings, warning that the move amounts to a surrender to terrorists rather than a meaningful security response.
The group, Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW), issued a statement on Tuesday signed by leading women advocates including Asmau Joda, Maryam Uwais, Mairo Mandara, Aisha Oyebode, Fatima Akilu, Kadaria Ahmed, and Larai Ocheja Amusan.
They lamented that instead of acting with “strategy, urgency, and courage” to secure schools and rescue abducted pupils, state and federal authorities opted for sweeping school closures in Niger and Kebbi states, as well as unity schools across the North.
“Closing schools does not provide security; it is surrender,” the group stated. “These decisions reflect panic, not protection.”
VIEW warned that the closures—taken in response to the abductions of schoolgirls in Kebbi and Niger—would worsen the deep-rooted educational challenges already faced by Northern girls. The region has the highest burden of female illiteracy in Nigeria, with cultural and economic barriers often hindering girls’ access to learning.
“Every shuttered classroom widens inequality; every child kept at home deepens fear,” the women said. “This is not protection; it is abandonment. It hands over the control of children’s education to violent actors.”
The group called for schools to be secured, not emptied, insisting that the government must protect learning spaces rather than retreat each time terrorists strike. They argued that policies which restrict education only embolden attackers and undermine the future of children in the region.
Referencing past tragedies—from Chibok and Dapchi to Yauri and Jangebe—the women said the children of Maga and Papiri, currently in captivity, deserve decisive action, not “hollow assurances.”
They demanded a national emergency response anchored in intelligence-led rescue operations, strengthened security architecture, and transparent daily updates to families and the public.
“We reject policies that punish children for the State’s failures. Nigeria must respond with strategy and courage, not blanket shutdowns that erode education,” VIEW said. “The future of the North must not be surrendered to fear. Education is an imperative for our girls, and for all our children.”