10 Nigerian schools closed over student abduction

ABUJA - A total of 10 schools were closed on Tuesday in Nigeria's northwestern state of Zamfara, which shares borders with Katsina where over 300 students were declared missing after a recent attack on their school by gunmen.

Ibrahim Abdullahi, the commissioner for education in Zamfara, told Xinhua that the schools are believed to be vulnerable to bandits' attack, and that measures have been taken to secure their lives, especially those located along the borders with other northwestern states.

"We have received the approval of Governor Bello Matawalle to close all the schools located along our borders with our neighboring states of Kaduna and Katsina, following the recent abduction of over 300 secondary school students at the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State," Abdullahi said.

The town of Kankara shares borders with Zamfara and that attack is also a threat to students, the official said.

On Saturday, Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari ordered the closure of all boarding secondary schools in the state, following the school attack by suspected bandits.