Growing security concerns have forced the Kwara State Government to order the immediate closure of the State College of Education, Oro, throwing students and staff into uncertainty and triggering sharp reactions from the opposition and student bodies.
The directive was contained in an internal memo dated January 20, 2026, issued by the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Technology and sighted yesterday.
Signed by the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Sa’adatu Modibbo-Kawu, the memo directed the management of the institution to suspend all academic activities with immediate effect, in line with the instruction of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
According to the document, the decision followed worsening insecurity around the institution and forms part of a broader state directive to shut down all schools 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, adding that the closure would remain in force pending a comprehensive security review and further directives from the state government.
However, the closure has drawn criticism from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which accused the AbdulRazaq-led administration of “surrendering to insecurity.”
In a statement signed by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the PDP described the decision as an admission of failure, arguing that the government lacked a coherent strategy for tackling insecurity.
The party warned that the College of Education, Oro, serves as a major educational and economic backbone for Kwara South, and said its closure would worsen hardship for students, workers and host communities.
It also accused the governor of poor leadership and being largely absent from the state, calling on traditional rulers and other stakeholders to speak out against what it described as a dangerous precedent.
Meanwhile, students of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, have denied claims that their protest over the continued use of campus facilities for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation programme was politically sponsored.
At a press briefing yesterday, the students said they were alarmed that their protest, which stemmed from welfare concerns and allegations of police brutality, was being wrongly interpreted as politically motivated.
They complained that the presence of corps members disrupted their academic activities, displaced them from their accommodation and raised safety concerns on campus.
President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Maruf Ibrahim, said the protest was a genuine cry for attention.
“Let us be clear from the outset: this struggle is not political, sponsored, or manipulated by any external force. It is the genuine cry of students defending their welfare, dignity, and right to education,” he said.
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