Suspends education mandate secretary over early closure of schools
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered an all-round security reinforcement across Abuja, with a specific charge for intensified surveillance at border corridors linking the territory with neighbouring states, as part of renewed efforts to stem rising criminal activities.

To implement the directive, the Operation Sweep Squad — a joint task force drawing personnel from the military, police, Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies — has begun a coordinated deployment to strategic flashpoints across the nation’s capital.

Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has debunked the report that all Government Schools in the FCT were mandated to close by November 28, 2025, saying that “no such decision was taken at any level of the administration.”

Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, also said the minister directed the immediate suspension of the Mandate Secretary for Education, Dr Danlami Hayyo.

Speaking during the formal briefing of the team yesterday, the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Miller Dantawaye, urged operatives to deepen inter-agency cooperation to decisively stamp out crime within the territory.

He disclosed that the minister had provided substantial logistical support to aid the operation, especially as the year-end festivities approach.

According to him, the service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) have endorsed the multi-layered operation designed to tackle kidnapping, banditry and related threats in vulnerable communities across the FCT.

“Wike has given complete support, especially in terms of logistics,” Dantawaye said. “By the time we leave here today, funds for fuelling, vehicle servicing and allowances for personnel will have been released into an accessible account.”

On the rising influx of street beggars into the city centre, the CP revealed that security agencies were already collaborating with relevant departments of the FCTA to curtail the trend. He warned that individuals posing as beggars often exploit the guise to perpetrate criminal activities.

“We know that some who claim to be beggars are not beggars. Many come with criminal intent,” he said. “We will profile them and identify those who are criminally minded, even if they present themselves as beggars.”

He added that the FCTA was examining the legal framework in conjunction with environmental authorities to determine the appropriate means of evacuating street beggars where necessary.

FCT Acting Head of Service, Mrs Nancy Sabanti Nathan, has also been mandated to discipline the Director, School Services, Mrs Aishatu Sani Alhassan, in accordance with the civil service rules.

It was learnt that Hayyo did not seek proper authorisation before issuing the circular on the early closure of schools

Describing the report on early closure of schools as false and misleading, the administration urged parents, students, and school authorities to dismiss the rumour, stressing that the approved academic calendar remained unchanged.

The FCTA also assured residents, especially students, of adequate security, adding that the minister directed the resumption of Operation Sweep and other security initiatives in the federal capital.