Niger State govermment has disclosed that it will reopen selected public and private schools on Monday, January 12, 2026, but only in locations security agencies have cleared as safe.
The phased resumption follows a security review ordered by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.
The shutdown of schools began in late November after gunmen attacked St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, in one of the worst mass abductions in recent years. The kidnappings prompted the state to close schools across the state.
Dr. Hadiza Mohammed, Niger state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, told newsmen after an emergenct inter-ministerial meeting on safe schools reopening that the reopening will be phased and limited to schools approved by a joint committee of the ministry, local authorities and security agencies.
She said phase one would include schools in Chanchaga local government, parts of Boso, Suleja and Bida stressing that the schools to be opened were specifically those inside town centres, not those on the outskirts.
“Some schools actually will open on Monday, 12th of January, and we are going to start the opening of our schools in phases. That is why we said we are opening just the selected schools that we are agreed upon by the committee, Ministry of Education and her agencies, with a security confirmation and approval for the opening. And we continue like that until we get to all other schools.
