Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has suspended Danlami Hayyo, the Mandate Secretary for Education, after a memo directing government schools in Abuja to shut down on November 28 circulated widely on Tuesday.
The memo, signed by Aishatu Sani Alhassan, director of school services, had ordered all public senior secondary schools in the FCT to close “on or before Friday, November 28” due to unspecified security concerns. Principals were told to end academic activities immediately and dismiss students “in an orderly and safe manner.”
But the FCT administration said no such directive was approved.
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In a statement, Lere Olayinka, senior special assistant on public communications to the minister, said the administration “debunked the report that all government schools in the Federal Capital Territory were mandated to close by November 28, 2025,” stressing that “no such decision was taken at any level of the administration.”
Wike also directed Nancy Sabanti Nathan, the acting head of service, to initiate disciplinary action against Alhassan under civil service rules.
Calling the memo “false and misleading,” the administration urged parents, students and school authorities to disregard it, adding that the approved academic calendar “remains intact and unaffected.”
The statement said the minister had ordered the resumption of Operation Sweep and other security measures to reinforce safety around schools and communities across the territory.
