The Kogi State Government has ordered the temporary closure of schools across the state as a precautionary step, citing credible security intelligence and the need to protect pupils, students, and teachers.

Speaking to journalists in Lokoja on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, said the decision was taken out of responsibility, not panic, stressing that the government opted for proactive action rather than waiting for preventable incidents to occur.

According to him, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has directed all relevant agencies to immediately put necessary measures in place to ensure that schools resume academic activities as soon as it is safe to do so, in order to minimise disruption to the academic calendar.

Fanwo praised security agencies for providing timely and actionable intelligence, noting that the collaboration reflects the strength of the state’s security architecture. He reassured residents that the government is fully on top of the situation, adding that security operatives are working round the clock to identify, locate, and decisively dismantle criminal hideouts across the state.

“The safety of our children, teachers, and educational institutions remains non-negotiable. This administration will always prioritise lives while ensuring continuity in governance and education,” Fanwo said.

Meanwhile, private school operators in the state have aligned with the directive. In a message to members, the Kogi State Chairman of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Pastor Reuben Jimoh, announced that the midterm break had been brought forward in line with the emergency school closure.

He stated that schools would resume on February 16, 2026, warning that no school should operate before the approved date. “There will be no school from now until 16/02/2026. No school should go against this adjustment,” Jimoh said.

The school closure in Kogi follows similar preventive actions recently taken in Kebbi and Kwara states, where authorities shut schools after bandit attacks on schools and churches. In both states, schools were reopened weeks later after security conditions improved.