The Edo State Government has ordered the immediate closure of three secondary schools in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area after a security warning about threats to students, staff and nearby communities. The directive, dated June 9, 2026, shut Ososo Grammar School, Ososo Comprehensive High School and Makeke Secondary School, Makeke.
The move comes as families in the area search for what the warning means for children still in school this term, especially WASSCE candidates who have been told they may return under strict security arrangements and supervision. The Ministry of Education said all academic and non-academic activity in the affected schools is suspended until further notice.
The closure was signed by Enodolomwanyi Otamere, the permanent secretary in the Edo Ministry of Education, after intelligence reports pointed to credible risks in Edo North. The circular also directed principals to ensure students were safely released to parents and guardians, secure school facilities during the shutdown and keep in touch with education and security authorities.
That response followed a leaked State Security Service memo dated June 5 and addressed to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Edo. The confidential report warned of a planned mass abduction of schoolchildren in parts of the state and said suspected bandits were focusing on schools in Edo North Senatorial District. It also said two suspects, Bawa and Nuhu, had discussed abducting schoolchildren after earlier efforts to kidnap wealthy individuals allegedly failed to produce the returns they wanted.
The memo added a sharper detail that made the threat harder to dismiss: a 25-year-old man identified as Emmanuel Momidu was apprehended on June 4 while allegedly conducting surveillance around Makeke Secondary School in Makeke Community, Akoko Edo Local Government Area. Senior DSS officials later confirmed the document was authentic, but said such alerts are routinely shared among security agencies and are not meant for public release, even when a leak pushes them into view. Their point was simple: the warning was not written for public circulation, but once it surfaced, the government had to act on it.
For now, the schools remain shut and the reopening date has not been set. The government said the closure was temporary and based on security advisories from relevant agencies, while security agencies are expected to intensify their efforts around the affected schools and communities. For parents in Akoko-Edo, the immediate question is no longer whether the warning was real. It is how long Edo will keep children out of class before it can say the threat has been contained.
