The Kwara State government has ordered the immediate closure of the Kwara State College of Education, Oro, following worsening security concerns in the area.
The directive was contained in an internal memo dated January 20, 2026, issued by the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Technology and addressed to relevant authorities overseeing the institution.
“You are hereby instructed to take immediate steps to direct the Management of the College to temporarily close the institution forthwith,” the memo, signed by the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, read.
The directive was signed by the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Sa’adatu Modibbo-Kawu, who said the decision was taken in line with the instruction of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
According to the document, the closure followed growing insecurity around the institution and formed part of the state government’s broader directive to shut down all schools located within the affected local government area.
“The measure is taken in the best interest of the safety and security of staff, students and the surrounding community,” the memo stated.
It added that the closure would remain in force pending a comprehensive security review and further directives from the state government.
Authorities of the college were also mandated to submit a report of compliance to the ministry without delay.
The sudden shutdown has disrupted academic activities at the institution, with students and staff directed to vacate the campus as security agencies intensify monitoring of the area.
The development comes amid heightened security concerns across parts of Kwara South and Kwara North, where several communities have recorded cases of banditry, kidnappings and other criminal activities in recent months.
Residents of the areas have repeatedly raised the alarm over the deteriorating security situation and the impact on education and economic activities.
The closure of the College of Education, Oro, follows similar precautionary actions earlier taken by the state government, including the relocation of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp from Yikpata in the Edu Local Government Area to Ilorin, as well as the temporary shutdown of some schools located in volatile communities.
If Shehu Sani is calling for security to find people kidnapped. It is unfortunate, Tinubu is only interested in occupying Aso Rock. I dont see him beyond 2027.
Akpabio Heads To Supreme Court To Challenge Appeal Court’s Decisions On Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Suspension
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has approached the Supreme Court to challenge the Court of Appeal decisions linked to the controversy surrounding Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s removal from legislative duties.
Court documents obtained by SaharaReporters show that Akpabio, acting in his capacity as President of the Senate, has filed fresh processes at the apex court seeking to regularise and sustain his appeal over the suspension.
The suit, filed at the Supreme Court in Abuja, lists Akpabio as the appellant, while the respondents include Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Neda Imasuen.
The dispute arose from a Senate plenary session in February 2025, during which Akpoti-Uduaghan raised issues bordering on parliamentary privilege and alleged procedural irregularities.
The matter was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, a process that culminated in her suspension from legislative activities.
Dissatisfied with the action, the Kogi Central senator approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, alleging violations of her constitutional right to fair hearing and non-compliance with the Senate Standing Orders.
In a judgment delivered on July 4, 2025, the trial court examined critical questions relating to parliamentary privilege, internal legislative procedure and the scope of judicial intervention in legislative affairs.
Following proceedings at the Court of Appeal, Akpabio has now escalated the matter to the Supreme Court, seeking an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal, leave to appeal on grounds of mixed law and fact, and an order deeming his notice of appeal and brief of argument as properly filed and served.
In the application brought pursuant to the Supreme Court Rules, the Supreme Court Act and relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Akpabio argued that the appeal raises substantial constitutional and procedural issues deserving the attention of the apex court.
He contended that the Senate acted within its powers under Section 60 of the Constitution, which authorises the National Assembly to regulate its own procedure.
Akpabio’s legal team further argued that the presiding officer of the Senate is not mandatorily required to immediately rule on every point of privilege raised during plenary and that the Senate lawfully activated its internal disciplinary mechanisms in response to what it described as disorderly conduct.
The court document reads in part: “Your Lordships, the courts have consistently held that rules of court are handmaids of justice. Thus, procedural rules must yield to constitutional imperatives whenever strict compliance would result in injustice or denial of fair hearing. Please see the decision in Akiode & Ors v. Obi & Ors (2021) LPELR-56005(CA) @ 65-66 Paras CE, where the Court held that: ‘.... such rules must of necessity give way to those fundamental legal principles, for the simple reason that although both the rules and the principles are aimed at attaining the same objective, a rule of procedure must always take a backseat in the face of a fundamental legal principle, in this case the fundamental principle of fair hearing’.
“Accordingly, your Lordships are humbly urged to hold that the rule on joint briefs is designed for procedural efficiency, not to stifle substantive justice and fair hearing. What is more? The 1st Respondent, before the lower Court, created the illusion of complying with the 35-page limit as prescribed by the rules of this Honourable Court when, in fact, a smaller font and single line spacing were used in preparing her Brief contrary to Order 19 Rule 3(6)b of the Court of Appeal Rules, 2011.
“Based on the foregoing, the Appellant submits that a refusal of the instant appeal will not only amount to a breach of his right to a fair hearing, which is constitutionally guaranteed, but also amount to an imbalance in hearing opportunities.”
“The Appellant has established beyond any iota of doubt that the lower Court denied him a fair hearing; your Lordships are humbly urged to so hold and set aside the Ruling of the lower Court,” the document concluded.
In November 2025, the appellate court struck out the Senate President's brief of argument because it was "incurably defective." Specifically, it violated several procedural requirements, including exceeding the 35-page limit and using incorrect formatting.
The court declined Akpabio's application to file an extended brief, proceeding to hear the case despite his objections.
The court awarded N100,000 in costs to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The dismissal effectively upheld the lower court's finding that the Senate's six-month suspension of the senator was "excessive" and unconstitutional.
Akpoti-Uduaghan has consistently maintained that her suspension was unlawful, excessive and carried out in violation of her right to fair hearing.
She insisted that the Senate failed to comply with its own Standing Orders before referring her to the ethics committee and imposing disciplinary sanctions, thereby denying her a fair opportunity to defend herself.
SaharaReporters confirmed on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal counsel was formally served with the Supreme Court processes relating to the appeal, effectively joining issues and paving the way for a full legal contest at the apex court.
The case also involves a related contempt proceeding arising from a social media post made by the senator during the pendency of the suit.
The Federal High Court had ruled that the post violated a subsisting restraining order, imposing a fine and ordering a public apology.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had challenged the decision on appeal, arguing that the alleged contempt was criminal in nature and required strict compliance with statutory procedures.
Security agencies had initially said the incident did not happen, but the spokesman of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Benjamin Hundeyin, days later, confirmed the mass abduction.
The chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in northern region, Joseph Hayab, has faulted security agencies over their “denial” of the abduction of scores of persons in Kaduna.
Hayab spoke on Wednesday, hours after the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) confirmed the kidnapping of the worshippers.
“The manner the police commissioner and other security agencies came out to outrightly say that this thing did not happen to me it’s a total disappointment, a total failure, and it’s just increased the lack of trust that exists between the people and those who are securing them,” Hayab said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
Reports about the abduction of worshippers in Kurmin Wali community of Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna made headlines on Sunday. Over 100 persons were said to have been kidnapped in the attacks.
The Kaduna state government and security agencies had initially said the incident did not happen, but the spokesman of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Benjamin Hundeyin, days later, confirmed the mass abduction.
Hundeyin in a statement late Tuesday, said, “verification from operational units and intelligence sources has confirmed that the incident did occur”.
He said the Kaduna Police Command’s comment over the incident was “intended to prevent unnecessary panic while facts were being confirmed.
“Those remarks, which have since been widely misinterpreted, were not a denial of the incident but a measured response pending confirmation of details from the field, including the identities and number of those affected”.
But the CAN chairman believes the denials have slowed down rescue operations.
“Look at the time they were using in denial. That time they’re supposed to be using for pursuing the bandits, but they chose to allow the bandits to have gone far before they are coming to acknowledge that the information we give them is true and remain true,” the cleric said.
The abduction is the latest in a series of mass kidnapping in Nigeria especially in the country’s northern region.
They have started again, by January 26, we will see loan request. They promised once subsidy is gone, more than enough money to spend. The prodigal leaders.
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