The Kogi government has shut down the Daarul Kitab Islamic Training Centre in Zariagi, Adavi Local Government Area, for operating without government approval.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the closure comes after an attack on April 26 in which unknown gunmen entered the premises and seized 23 students, including the proprietor’s wife.
All of the victims have subsequently been released following a coordinated operation by the 12 Brigade Nigerian Army, the Kogi Police Command, and other security agencies.
Mr Wemi Jones, the State Commissioner for Education, closed the school on Friday after leading a team from the Ministry of Education visited the institution.
Jones urged the proprietor to immediately report to the ministry, stating that the school would stay closed until all legal conditions for establishment and operation were met.
He underlined the government’s commitment to ensure that all schools in the state are safe, conducive, and satisfy authorized teaching and learning requirements.
The commissioner emphasized that the state will not compromise standards in the establishment of schools.
Jones remarked that, while the proprietor had initiated the registration process, the school should not have opened without clearance.
“The Kogi State Government is alive to its responsibility of ensuring that schools in the state are conducive and safe for teaching and learning,” Jones stated.
He emphasized that the state government would continue to monitor schools to ensure compliance and protect pupils throughout the state.
