Members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) wing on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest in Abuja over the abduction and killing of teachers and students in parts of the country.
The protest, held at the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters in the Central Business District, followed a directive from the national leadership of the union for nationwide solidarity rallies across states.
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The protesters marched from the ministry to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) secretariat and the National Assembly, carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs as they demanded the immediate release of abducted teachers and students, particularly those kidnapped in Oyo State.
‘Teachers are at the receiving end’
Speaking during the protest, the Chairman of the NUT FCT chapter, Abdullahi Shafa, said teachers had become major victims of worsening insecurity across Nigeria.
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Mr Shafa said teachers are at the receiving end of most of the kidnapping activities because “they are people trying to impart knowledge to the younger ones.”
He said insecurity was making teachers afraid to work, especially in rural communities where attacks on schools have become frequent.
“When you kidnap a teacher, you are telling us virtually that teaching should stop. When you kidnap our children, you are telling us that Nigeria should no longer progress. These children are the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.
He noted that continued attacks on schools could discourage children from embracing education.
“By the time you begin to intimidate them, they will look at education as something they have to be very careful with. But education is very important to our lives and to our children because they are the leaders of tomorrow,” he added.
Protest over Oyo abduction
Mr Shafa said the protest was triggered by the recent abduction of teachers and students in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
He recalled that one of the abducted teachers was later killed by the kidnappers.
“It is touching, horrifying and devastating that a teacher who has put in his best to ensure that children get qualitative education is being killed like that without any reason,” he said.
He described the incident as a threat to education and national development.
“It is not good for the system, it is not going to be good for the teaching environment and it is not going to be good for our children,” he said.
Call for stronger security
The union urged the government to intensify efforts to secure schools, especially those located in rural areas.
Mr Shafa said previous measures, including the construction of perimeter fences around schools, had not stopped attacks on teachers and students.
“We want the government to do more. If they don’t do more, teachers can no longer access their schools,” he said.
“Schools in the cities may be taken care of, but those in the hinterlands need adequate security so that teachers can teach without fear and pupils can learn peacefully.”
He also called for improved school infrastructure and stronger security presence around educational institutions.
“Our message to the government is to be proactive, provide security for our students and teachers and improve the infrastructure of our school system so that our environment and our teachers can be safe,” he said.
He said the protest was intended to be peaceful and would last only for the day.
He urged members of the union to remain orderly during the march to the ministry where a letter would be presented to the Minister of Education.
Abduction
The planned protest follows an indefinite strike declared by the Oyo State wing of the NUT over the captivity of abducted teachers and pupils in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
The union had directed public primary and secondary school teachers across Oyo State to withdraw their services till further notice beginning Monday 1 June, following a directive from the national leadership of the union.
The union said the prolonged captivity of the abducted victims, with no clear indication of their imminent rescue, had created fear among teachers, discouraged parents from sending their children to school and heightened tension in affected communities.
According to the union, the strike is intended to draw the attention of authorities to the plight of the abductees and compel the government to intensify efforts toward their safe release.
The abduction occurred about two weeks ago when gunmen attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School in Ahoro-Esinle in Oriire LGA near Ogbomoso.
During the attack, about 45 pupils, teachers and the school principal were abducted.
One of the abducted teachers, an assistant headmaster identified as Mr Adesiyan, was killed by the kidnappers after a video of the incident surfaced online.
The incident has triggered widespread outrage among teachers, parents and civil society groups, with concerns growing over recurring attacks on schools and the safety of learners and education workers across the country.
It adds to a growing list of mass school abductions recorded in Nigeria since 2014.
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