EXCLUSIVE: Teachers, Pupils Shun Rural Kwara Schools Over Fear Of Terror Attacks Despite Govt Reopening Order

Community sources who visited public schools in Ara town, Oyun Local Government Area, disclosed that academic activities failed to resume on Monday as expected, with classrooms left empty and school premises abandoned.

Despite an official directive by the Kwara State Government ordering the reopening of schools across the state, several public schools in vulnerable communities have remained deserted as teachers, pupils and parents refuse to resume academic activities over persistent fears of terrorist attacks and abductions, SaharaReporters has learnt.

Community sources who visited public schools in Ara town, Oyun Local Government Area, disclosed that academic activities failed to resume on Monday as expected, with classrooms left empty and school premises abandoned.

One of the affected institutions, Muslim Community Junior Secondary School, Ira, was reportedly deserted on Monday morning after both staff and students stayed away due to security concerns.

“There was nobody in the school; no teachers, no pupils,” a community source told SaharaReporters. “Parents are afraid. Teachers are also scared. Nobody wants to risk their lives.”

The situation, according to residents, is not peculiar to Oyun LGA. Similar scenes were recorded in Share and several communities in Ifelodun Local Government Area, as well as parts of Kwara North, where insecurity has continued to disrupt normal life despite government assurances of improved safety.

According to residents, the fear stems from recent attacks and growing reports of armed groups operating around rural communities, forcing families to prioritise safety over education.

Government Declares Schools Safe

The development comes days after the Kwara State Government announced the reopening of schools statewide, citing improved security conditions following sustained operations against criminal elements.

In a statement, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr. Lawal Olohungbebe, directed all schools to resume academic activities from Monday, February 2, 2026, stating that security agencies had made significant progress in neutralising threats to lives and property.

“The government deems the situation now to be a lot better than it was before. Even so, we continue to maintain vigilance,” Olohungbebe said, adding that security forces remain actively deployed across affected areas.

He also noted that beyond military operations, the state government was working to strengthen community resilience through improved cooperation with security agencies and early-warning mechanisms.

However, findings by SaharaReporters indicate a widening gap between official assurances and realities on the ground, particularly in rural communities that have experienced repeated security breaches.

Several teachers who spoke to SaharaReporters said fear has gripped the education workforce, with many refusing to travel from the state capital, Ilorin, to rural postings due to repeated security incidents and reports of educators being targeted by armed groups.

A secondary school teacher posted to a rural community in Ifelodun LGA said he had deliberately remained in Ilorin despite the government’s reopening order.

“How do they expect us to travel to those villages when people are being attacked on the roads?” the teacher said. “We hear stories of teachers being kidnapped or killed. Nobody has guaranteed our safety.”

Another teacher explained that many educators now consider rural postings as life-threatening assignments.

“We are not refusing to teach; we are afraid of dying,” the teacher said. “Some of us commute from Ilorin because there are no accommodations in those communities. The roads are dangerous, and once anything happens, help will not come quickly.”

A female teacher also told SaharaReporters that anxiety among education workers had worsened following recent violent incidents in neighbouring communities.

“My family begged me not to go back,” she said. “They told me teaching is not worth my life. Until security improves, many of us will remain in Ilorin.”

According to another source, teachers have repeatedly raised safety concerns with education authorities but feel their fears are being ignored.

“They reopened schools on paper, but security has not changed in reality,” the source said. “If anything happens to a teacher, nobody will take responsibility.”

Some teachers said reports of colleagues allegedly attacked or killed in insecure areas across northern Nigeria have further heightened panic, making many unwilling to resume duties outside urban centres.

“We hear what is happening in nearby states and in Kaiama where teachers have been attacked and killed anytime these terrorists invade communities,” one teacher added.

“Government may say schools should reopen, but the people living here know the reality,” one teacher said. “Until there are real security patrols, protection and guarantees, nobody wants to resume.”

SaharaReporters earlier reported how thousands of children across several Kwara communities had already been forced out of classrooms for months due to insecurity and recurring abductions.

The schools were shut in November 2025 over insecurity.