The Paradox of Return: Analyzing the Reopening of Schools in Northern Nigeria Amidst Persistent Insecurity
Abstract
This paper analyzes the partial reopening of schools in northern Nigeria in January 2026, as reported in the wake of mass student abductions the previous November. While the federal government framed the reopening as a success of enhanced security measures, this action represents a complex and fraught decision situated within Nigeria’s enduring security crisis. Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of fragile states theory and human security, this paper argues that the reopening is less an indicator of resolved conflict and more a manifestation of political necessity and the shifting of the security burden onto civilian actors. The geographical disparity in reopening policies between states like Kaduna and Niger highlights the decentralized nature of the insecurity and the state’s uneven capacity to protect its citizens. Ultimately, the decision of parents and students to return to the classroom, despite explicit threats, demonstrates profound civilian resilience but also underscores the profound choices forced upon a population caught between the right to education and the imperative for survival. The analysis concludes that sustainable educational security in Nigeria hinges not on isolated security deployments but on addressing the deep-seated socio-economic and governance failures that fuel the violence.
- Introduction
On January 12, 2026, students across parts of northern Nigeria streamed back into classrooms, marking a tentative end to a nearly two-month closure prompted by a wave of mass abductions (Reuters, 2026). The event, while seemingly a return to normalcy, was laden with a heavy paradox. It was a defiance of the very real and persistent threats from criminal gangs and Islamist insurgents who have made schools lucrative and symbolic targets for over a decade. The federal government’s declaration that “enhanced security measures” had created a safer environment, offered without specific detail, provided a thin veil of assurance over a deeply entrenched problem.
This incident is not an isolated one but rather the latest chapter in a tragic saga that began, for the global consciousness, with the Chibok schoolgirls’ kidnapping in 2014. Since then, the targeting of educational institutions has evolved from a primarily ideological campaign by Boko Haram—a group whose name translates to “Western education is forbidden”—to a more commercialized enterprise of “banditry” and kidnapping-for-ransom, particularly prominent in the North-West and North-Central regions. The November 2025 abductions, which saw hundreds of students and staff taken, underlined the state’s continued vulnerability and the devastating psychological impact on communities.
This paper seeks to move beyond the headlines to critically analyze the implications of the 2026 school reopenings. It argues that the act of reopening is a complex political and socio-economic maneuver that reveals more about the Nigerian state’s limitations than its strengths. It signifies a political imperative to project an image of control, while simultaneously shifting the burden of risk assessment and management from the state to individual families. By examining the event through the lens of fragile states theory and the human security paradigm, this paper will deconstruct the motivations of the government, the disparate responses among states, and the agonizing choices faced by civilians. It contends that the resilience of Nigerian students and parents, though commendable, is a symptom of a systemic failure to guarantee one of the most fundamental human rights: the right to education in a secure environment.
- Theoretical Framework and Literature Review
2.1 The School as a Frontier of Conflict
The targeting of schools in Nigeria is a well-documented phenomenon. Scholars have traced its evolution from the ideologically-driven attacks of Boko Haram in the North-East to the economically-motivated mass kidnappings by bandit groups in the North-West and North-Central (Onuoha, 2022). While Boko Haram’s initial purpose was to dismantle the secular educational system, the surge in banditry has transformed schools into “soft targets” offering high-value hostages for ransom. This shift represents a change in the political economy of violence, where kidnapping has become a viable industry in regions plagued by poverty, unemployment, and state absence (Abubakar, 2021). This literature establishes that schools are not collateral victims but are intentionally chosen to extract resources and demonstrate the state’s inability to govern its territory, thereby striking at its legitimacy.
2.2 Fragile States Theory and the Human Security Paradigm
To understand the state’s response, the concept of a “fragile state” is essential. A fragile state is characterized by its inability or unwillingness to perform core functions like providing security, exercising legitimate authority, and delivering basic services (Menkhaus, 2010). Nigeria’s federal government, despite possessing one of Africa’s largest militaries, struggles to project effective power across its vast territory, particularly in remote rural areas of the north. This “sovereignty gap” allows non-state armed groups to operate with impunity, establishing alternative forms of governance and control. The federal government’s vague declaration of “enhanced security” can be seen through this lens as an attempt to perform the function of a state—a performance that may lack substantive capacity on the ground.
This analysis is further deepened by the human security paradigm, which shifts the referent object of security from the state to the individual (UNDP, 1994). Human security is concerned with protecting people from “critical and pervasive threats and situations,” emphasizing freedom from fear and freedom from want. For the 17-year-old student in Kaduna and her father, Haruna Danjuma, the calculation is not one of abstract national security but of immediate, personal safety. As Danjuma stated, the government has the responsibility to secure the children, but in its perceived failure, the responsibility to educate them falls to the parent. This illustrates the core conflict: the state’s agenda of projecting stability is in direct tension with the citizen’s human security needs. The reopening forces families to weigh the non-material, long-term threat of a lost future against the immediate, material threat of violence.
- Analysis of the January 2026 Reopening
3.1 A Signal of Resilience or Political Theater?
The federal government’s announcement to reopen schools carries significant political weight. Prolonged school closures are not only an educational crisis but an economic and social one, potentially leading to increased idleness, child labor, and social unrest. By pushing for a reopening, the government attempts to signal a return to normalcy and a refusal to be cowed by non-state actors. It is an act of asserting state hegemony over public space. However, the lack of transparency regarding the nature of the “enhanced security” measures casts doubt on the substance of this claim. This opacity erodes public trust and suggests the move may be more political theater than a reflection of a genuinely securitized environment. It prioritizes the narrative of control over the tangible provision of safety.
3.2 Geographical Disparity: Kaduna and Niger as Case Studies
The source article highlights a crucial aspect of the crisis: its uneven geographical distribution. While schools in Kaduna reopened, many in neighboring Niger State, the site of the November 2025 abductions, remained shut under state government directive (Reuters, 2026). This disparity proves that the security situation is not a monolith. It reflects the decentralized nature of both the threat and the response. State governors, who are constitutionally responsible for security within their domains, must make pragmatic assessments based on on-the-ground intelligence. Niger State Commissioner for Education Hadiza Mohammed’s statement that “the safety of students, teachers, and school communities remains paramount” stands in stark contrast to the less cautious federal posture. This highlights a tension between federal political pressure and state-level security pragmatism, further fracturing the national response.
3.3 The Agency of the Civilians: Shifting the Burden of Risk
Perhaps the most poignant element of the reopening is the perspective of the students and parents. The 17-year-old student’s longing for the social fabric of school—lunchtime with friends, interactions with teachers—underscores the profound psycho-social impact of school closures. It reminds us that education is more than pedagogy; it is a core component of community life and childhood development. Her father’s difficult decision reveals a form of calculated agency. Faced with the state’s inability to guarantee security, he has assumed the risk. He has weighed the statistical probability of another abduction against the certainty of his daughter’s educational stagnation. In this context, returning to school becomes an act of profound courage and resistance, a refusal to let violence dictate the future. However, this agency is born of necessity; it represents the ultimate privatization of security, where the state’s failure forces families to become the final arbiters of their own safety.
- Discussion and Policy Implications
The partial reopening of schools in January 2026 is a temporary fix to a systemic problem. A security-first approach, reliant on kinetic force and opaque “enhancements,” has demonstrably failed to create a sustainable safe learning environment. The incident suggests several policy imperatives:
First, there must be a shift towards community-integrated security solutions. Relying solely on a distant federal military presence is insufficient. Investing in and empowering local security architecture, including well-trained and vetted community vigilante groups, could provide more responsive and contextually-aware protection.
Second, the Nigerian government and its international partners must intensify efforts to address the root causes of banditry. These include endemic poverty, youth unemployment, climate-change-induced competition over resources between herders and farmers, and the proliferation of small arms. A purely securitized response that ignores these drivers will only perpetuate the cycle of violence.
Finally, the principle of transparency is paramount. Vague assurances undermine public trust and cooperation. The government must engage in clear communication with communities about security protocols, risk assessments, and contingency plans. This shared understanding is a critical component of building a resilient and secure educational system.
- Conclusion
The reopening of schools in northern Nigeria in January 2026 is a deeply paradoxical event. While symbolizing a defiant commitment to education, it simultaneously exposes the fragility of the Nigerian state and the perilous environment its citizens navigate. It is a political act as much as a pedagogical one, designed to project an image of normalcy while shifting the immense burden of risk onto the shoulders of students and parents. The courage displayed by families like Haruna Danjuma’s is a testament to human resilience, but it should not be mistaken for a sign of state success. True educational security will not be achieved by reopening school gates alone. It will only be realized when the Nigerian state can effectively address the governance vacuum, socio-economic despair, and cycles of violence that make its children targets in the first place. Until then, each day a child goes to school is an act of faith in a future that the state, so far, has been unable to promise.
References
Abubakar, A. (2021). Political Economy of Banditry and Kidnapping in Northwest Nigeria. Bayero University Press.
Menkhaus, K. (2010). State Fragility and the Threat of Organized Crime. International Peace Institute, (I).
Onuoha, F. C. (2022). The Rise of Mass School Abductions in Nigeria: A Political Economy Analysis. In Security, Governance and Development in Africa (pp. 155-176). Springer Nature.
Reuters. (2026, January 13). Nigeria reopens some schools in the north, defying threats of kidnap. The Straits Times.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (1994). Human Development Report 1994: New Dimensions of Human Security. Oxford University Press.