The governor of Adamawa State, has denied ordering the closure of boarding schools in the state, an announcement made six days ago by the Commissioner for Education and Human Development, Umar Pella.

Last Saturday, the state government had announced the closure of all public and private boarding schools in the state according to a statement signed by the Education Commissioner.

He stated that the decision by the governor to close the boarding schools was to protect the students from being abducted like those in Niger and Kebbi states.

“Sequel to the security challenges that the country is facing at the moment, particularly with what happened to students in Niger and Kebbi states, it has been observed with great dismay that the target of the evil perpetrators is boarding secondary schools.

“Considering this ugly situation in the country, I am directed by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Adamawa State, Hon. Ahmadu Fintiri, to deboard all boarding schools across the state, whether public or private.

“They should all operate as day schools for the moment. Therefore, by this directive, all principals and proprietors of public and private schools should deboard their respective boarding schools without further delay,” the statement read.

However, in a statement issued on Friday by his Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, the governor said he never ordered anyone to shutdown schools.

“The attention of the Adamawa State Government has been drawn to misleading information circulating in some quarters that the state government has ordered schools to be shut down.

“We want to categorically state that this information is false and baseless.

“At no point did the government direct schools to close, and we have no intention to do so. This malicious rumour is the work of mischief-makers who are bent on tarnishing the image of the government and disrupting public peace,” the statement read.

The governor urged the public to disregard the report describing it as unfounded.

“Schools should continue with their academic activities as usual,” he said.

Fintiri further warned that the government would not hesitate to take decisive action against those spreading false information and causing tension in the state.

“We will not tolerate any attempt to undermine our efforts to reposition the education sector and improve the lives of our citizens,” he said.

He noted that his administration has made significant progress in improving the education sector and will continue working toward providing quality education to residents of the state.

“We warn those spreading false information to desist immediately or face the full weight of the law. We will not hesitate to take action against anyone found guilty of spreading malicious rumours,” he added.

He readfirmed that the government would continue working tirelessly to ensure Adamawa State becomes a hub of educational excellence.