By Atoyebi Nike
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has condemned the fake circular directing schools in Abuja to shut down, describing it as reckless and dangerous. He said he first saw the claim on a TV news scroll and immediately contacted security chiefs, who confirmed the order never existed.
Wike stressed that no security threat justified closing schools and dismissed the directive as completely out of touch with reality. He said even the Mandate Secretary for Education was unaware of the memo and shocked that anyone would take such a step “in anticipation.”
He questioned how officials could issue a decision of that scale without notifying the FCT leadership, noting that neighboring states such as Kaduna, Nasarawa and Kogi have not shut schools over threats.
The minister assured parents that security agencies remain fully deployed to protect schools and promised that everyone involved in issuing the fake memo would face consequences.
Earlier, the FCT administration clarified that it never ordered schools to close. A statement by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, confirmed the Education Secretary’s suspension and announced disciplinary action against the director who circulated the unauthorized memo.
