Diphtheria: Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Taraba Rule Out School Closure

BY ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos; AZA MSUE, Kaduna; AHMED TAHIR, Lafia; BABAJI USMAN BABAJI, Gombe; ATTAH ANTHONY, Jalingo, NONYE EKWENUGO, Kaduna and KABIR WURMA, Birnin Kebbi

Amidst fears over the safety of schoolchildren across Northern Nigeria as schools prepare to reopen tomorrow, and a fresh diphtheria outbreak claiming lives in Plateau, new cases confirmed in Nasarawa and the disease continuing to pose a major public health challenge, Kaduna, Taraba and Gombe state governments have dismissed outright thoughts of shutting down schools.

The growing concern came as parents prepare to send their children back to classrooms, with questions mounting over vaccination coverage, disease surveillance and the preparedness of schools and health authorities to prevent spread of the deadly infection among pupils and students.

In Plateau State alone, health authorities said 23 people had died from suspected diphtheria in the two weeks preceding September 1, with 143 suspected cases recorded.

The zonal coordinator, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Mr Steve Aluko, said if the closure was for public interest and temporary, it was a welcome development, but insisted that it was not a lasting solution.

He said,  “If the state government has not make any contingency arrangement for now, closing schools on the temporary measures is very important but should not be necessarily prolonged so that it will not affect the school calendars.”

According to him, it is expected that within the next one week, adequate arrangements would be made to combat the disease by creating awareness and educating people so that it would not spread beyond control.

Aluko explained that the interest should not be focused only on schools, adding that while keeping the children at home, they should not also be left in a quagmire.

Also speaking, the Ada-Idoma of Jos South LGA, Chief Edwin Ochayi Ojih, described the situation as very unfortunate.

According to him, while the children stay at home, the state government should set machinery in motion with a view to combating the disease.

“It is not only about closing of schools alone, they should equally deploy available resources to nip it in the bud. The state Ministry of Health should rise up to the occasion and ensure they combat the disease within a short period so that children can go back to school.

“They should do everything humanely possible not to allow children to stay too long at home like what happened during the period of COVID-19 where over one year is wasted at home,” he advised.

Miss Serah Johnson, a JSS 1 student, lamented the order by the state government to close schools at a time when most schools are resuming from the long vacation.

She urged governments at all levels to put adequate measures in place to ensure the disease was contained as quickly as possible.

We Are Worried – Parents

For parents, the issue is no longer simply whether schools will open tomorrow, but whether children are adequately protected when they get there.

A parent in Niger State, Mallam Isah Hassan, told our correspondent the latest developments had created anxiety in the family ahead of resumption.

In  Niger, another parent said the confirmation of cases involving children was particularly disturbing because of the proximity of schools to the affected communities.

A Kano parent, recalling the state’s prolonged experience with diphtheria, said parents needed more than assurances from authorities as children returned to school.

 Plateau Takes The Hard Line

The Plateau State government has directed the temporary closure of all public and private primary and secondary schools across the state, effective Monday, September 7, 2026.

A statement issued by the commissioner for Information and Communication, Hon. Joyce Ramnap, said the directive was taken as a preventive measure against the diphtheria infection outbreak, following suspected cases in some parts of the state.

“Accordingly, schools that have already resumed academic activities are also directed to close from Monday, September 7, 2026, and remain closed until further notice, adding that school proprietors, administrators, teachers, parents and guardians are to comply fully with the directive.

“Students and pupils should remain safely at home throughout the period as part of measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils, students, teaching and non-teaching staff during the period under review.”

The state government appreciated the understanding and full cooperation of all stakeholders as it continued to take appropriate measures in the best interest of the people of Plateau State.

The statement added that further information on the resumption of academic activities would be communicated to the public in due course.

The state government also said health authorities had activated surveillance and response measures, including contact tracing, vaccination mop-up and other interventions aimed at limiting exposure and containing the outbreak.

Plateau’s Commissioner for Health,  Dr Nicholas Baamlong,  said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Jos, that Plateau had recorded 148 suspected cases of diphtheria, with 23 deaths, as the state government distributes medications to hospitals to support treatment of affected patients.

Baamlong said the state began recording children with symptoms suggestive of diphtheria in early August, particularly in densely populated communities in Jos North Local Government Area (LGA).

He said the government had since intensified sensitisation and vaccination campaigns in affected communities to contain the spread of the disease.

The commissioner said eight patients were currently receiving treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), while another five were admitted at the Plateau Specialist Hospital, where isolation centres had been established for suspected cases.

He said the state government had alerted the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and requested materials needed for the collection and transportation of samples for laboratory confirmation.

According to him, materials had also been received to enable health officials collect samples from suspected cases and send them for testing.

No Plan To Shut Schools—Nasarawa  Govt

The Nasarawa State government says there are no plans to close schools over the outbreak.

The director of administration And Supply, Ministry Of Education, Mr Emmanuel Azaki, said yesterday.

Azaki said though the schools are currently on holiday, the current situation in the state does not warrant a possible shutdown of activities even if schools were to be running.

The permanent secretary in the State Ministry of Health, Dr Ibrahim Alhassan, told  LEADERSHIP Sunday that 15 cases were earlier reported from the state at suspicion level, adding that six out of the number turned negative following clinical evaluation, easing fears of a major outbreak in the state.

He noted that the results of the remaining nine were still being awaited and would be made public as soon as the final outcome is known.

Elsewhere in Kebbi State, the government has not issued any directive for closing schools.

The director of schools in the ministry of Basic And Secondary Education In The State, Alhaji Jabbo Abubakar, told our correspondent on telephone yesterday,

“We have not recorded any casualty in the state from the disease and as such, the governor has not asked us to close schools.”

 We Are Not Closing Schools – Kaduna Gov’t

The Kaduna State government says it will not close schools following the closure of private and public primary and secondary schools by the Plateau State government over suspected cases of diphtheria.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Sunday on telephone, Governor Uba Sani’s chief press secretary, Ibraheem Musa, said schools would remain open.

The Benue State government did not comment on the matter as the commissioner for information and culture, Solomon Iorpev, did not answer or return calls put through to his phone.

Gombe Yet to Announce School Closure

The Gombe State government has not announced any plan to shut schools over the diphtheria disease.

There is currently no indication of a heightened outbreak of the disease in the state that may prompt school closure, although health authorities have since urged vigilance and early medical attention over reported diphtheria cases.

The commissioner for education, Dr Aishatu Maigari, did not pick calls or respond to a message on whether the state was considering school closure or any additional preventive measures.

 Taraba Steps Up Vigilance

Taraba State government says it is monitoring developments on the disease to prevent any possible outbreak in the state.

The commissioner for secondary, technical and vocational education, Dr Augustina Godwin, said the government had raised vigilance against a possible outbreak in the state.

Dr Godwin added that they were closely monitoring developments from other states and would immediately activate appropriate measures should any case be detected in Taraba.

Disease Spreads In Katsina

In Katsina, Diphtheria cases has continued to spread  with suspected cases reported in about 30 of the 34 LGAs.

This is as more than 1,000 suspected cases have been recorded since January, while the reported fatality rate stands at about 5.6 per cent. Funtua is among the worst-affected areas, alongside Kankia, Bakori, Katsina, Mashi and Daura.

Our correspondent reports that  the Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina has faced pressure from increasing admissions, with health authorities establishing additional isolation centres and intensifying vaccination, surveillance and contact tracing.

More than 150,000 people were vaccinated during a recent five-day campaign, while an additional 650,000 vaccine doses were secured.