Why can’t Christian students get an education in northern Nigeria for the next five weeks? And should even Muslim students have to miss that much school by government mandate?

These are questions this Ramadan brings as “some governors in northern Nigeria” have closed schools for these next five weeks, according to a statement released today by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria.

“This decision, which affects not only Muslim students but also Christian students and Christian-owned schools, raises serious questions about the secular nature of our country and the rights of all citizens,” the bishops write.

The one-pager “On the Closure of Schools in Northern Nigeria during Ramadan” cites both the Nigerian constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on religious freedom and the “fundamental human right” of education in sounding an alarm.

Nigerian children already are at a disadvantage when it comes to education, the bishops point out: “According to UNESCO [the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization], Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world, with over 10 million children not attending school. This decision will only exacerbate this crisis and undermine efforts to improve education outcomes in the region.”

The Biden administration took Nigeria off the U.S. State Department list of countries of particular concern, even as murders and kidnappings of clergy and other Christians are the norm in northern Nigeria.

The Trump administration should reverse the Biden policy and impose sanctions to encourage the Nigerian government to respect the fundamental rights of its citizens.

The closing of schools only confirms what people close to the situation say is a de facto reality in some Nigerian states in the north: sharia.

Read today’s full statement from the bishops here.