The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Tuesday reassured residents that schools in Abuja remain safe and dismissed rumours claiming that all public secondary schools would close on November 28, 2025.
The reports, which circulated on social media earlier in the day, suggested that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike had ordered schools to shut down due to security concerns.
The claims were reportedly based on a memo signed by Aishatu Sani Alhassan, Director of School Services at the FCT Secondary Education Board, titled “Urgent Need for Early Closure of Schools Due to Security Concerns.”
According to the memo, school administrators were instructed to end academic activities and release students immediately.
The FCTA clarified that no such directive had been issued by any authorised authority.
Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, emphasised that the official academic calendar remains unchanged and urged the public to disregard the misinformation.
“The FCTA has not issued any order for government schools to shut down by November 28, 2025. The information is misleading, and the public should dismiss it,” Olayinka said.
In response to the controversy, the Minister suspended the Mandate Secretary for Education, Danlami Hayyo.
The Acting Head of Service, Nancy Sabanti Nathan, was also instructed to take disciplinary action against Alhassan in line with civil service rules.
Before his suspension, Hayyo told reporters that he first saw the viral memo at the same time as the public and stressed that the director who signed it had no authority to issue such an order.
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“Only the FCT Minister can approve school closures, and no such approval was given,” he said, urging parents and students to ignore the circular.
The FCTA also reassured residents that security measures in schools remain in place, noting that Minister Wike has ordered the reactivation of Operation Sweep and other security initiatives across the territory.
The administration appealed to the public to rely on official sources for information and avoid spreading unverified reports that could cause unnecessary panic.
