The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has criticised the Federal Government for ordering the closure of schools over rising insecurity, warning that the move signals a dangerous admission of failure and inadvertently strengthens extremist ideology.

Speaking during an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the decision reflects the government’s inability to safeguard the nation’s learning institutions.

Abdullahi argued that shutting down schools because of the threat of bandit attacks sends the wrong message.

According to him, “When you close schools because bandits could go and kidnap children, what you are saying is, ‘I’m no longer capable of protecting my schools.’ And don’t forget the ideology of Boko Haram is that Western education is forbidden. So by shutting down schools, you are reinforcing the Boko Haram ideology.”

He noted that President Bola Tinubu has only recently begun taking decisive steps on national security due to pressure, including what he described as concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump’s stance.

Abdullahi also dismissed claims that the ADC was sponsoring insecurity or lobbying foreign powers against Nigeria, insisting that the party has no reason to undermine the nation’s stability.

His remarks come just hours after the release of the schoolgirls abducted during a November 17 attack that claimed the life of Vice Principal Malam Hassan Makuku. Their freedom, secured on Tuesday, offered a rare moment of relief amid worsening security concerns across the country.

Amid mounting public anxiety, President Tinubu on Wednesday declared a nationwide security emergency, a move the government says is aimed at restoring safety and public confidence.

The ADC, however, insists that protecting schools and reinforcing citizens’ trust requires more than declarations—it demands consistent, effective action against those threatening the country’s educational system and its future.