The Zamfara State government on Wednesday announced the closure of all primary and secondary schools and also imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on 13 Local Government Areas in the State.
Already, no fewer than 618 schools have remained closed in six Northern States over the fear of attack and abduction of pupils and members of staff.
The six States where schools have remained closed are Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Niger and Yobe. In Sokoto, the State government has closed all boarding schools along border towns.
Commissioner of Police in Zamfara State, Ayuba Elkana, announced in the capital Gusau that the curfew is with immediate effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a. m. daily in the 13 local government areas except Gusau, the state capital.
According to him, the curfew takes effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a. m in Gusau, the state capital until further notice.
He said that the curfew had been imposed as part of measures to tackle the growing banditry and kidnapping in the state.
The commissioner also announced the total and immediate closure of “all schools in the state.”
Elkana said that the measures followed the increasing rate of attacks and abduction of school pupils, students and even teachers in schools across the state.
The commissioner, however, declined comment on alleged reports of a fresh abduction of school students in parts of the state on Wednesday, including a secondary school in Kaya, Maradun Local Government area of the State.