The Federal Government has dismissed false social media claims that all Federal Unity Colleges would close, amid rising security concerns and recent attacks targeting schools across the country.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued and signed on Saturday by Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations for the Federal Ministry of Education.
The Ministry explained that the message did not originate from the Federal Government, the Ministry, any State Ministry of Education, or any recognised security agency, and urged the public to rely strictly on verified announcements issued through official channels.
“The Federal Ministry of Education hereby informs the general public that a message currently circulating on social media platforms, alleging that schools nationwide have been directed to close from 24th November 2025, is false, misleading, and did not originate from the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Education, any State Ministry of Education or any recognised security agency,” the statement read in part.
It added, “Any announcement, advisory, or notice coming from unofficial or unverified sources should be ignored and not shared.”
Members of the public were also urged to always verify the authenticity of information before circulating it in order to curb the spread of misinformation.
What you should know
The false claim about the closure of 47 Federal Unity Colleges across the country was reportedly linked to a circular dated 21 November and signed by Binta Abdulkadir, Director of Senior Secondary Education—a circular that was even reported by the Nigerian Television Authority and other mainstream media outlets.
- According to the circular, which has now been debunked, the alleged directive followed a string of security incidents, including two mass abductions of schoolchildren in Kebbi and Niger states this week.
- On Friday, unknown gunmen abducted an unspecified number of students from a Catholic school in Papiri community, Niger State, marking the second mass kidnapping in the country within a week.
- Earlier in the week, gunmen stormed a girls’ boarding school in Kebbi State, abducting 25 schoolgirls and killing the vice-principal.
The latest abduction in Niger State occurred against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to intervene militarily to end what he described as a “Christian genocide,” which the Nigerian government has denied.
