The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike if urgent action is not taken to secure the release of teachers and students abducted from schools in Oyo and Borno states.
The union made the declaration on Tuesday during a nationwide solidarity rally held across the country to demand the immediate and unconditional release of teachers and learners currently being held captive by kidnappers and terrorists.
Similar protests and rallies were held in Kogi, Lagos, Kwara, Oyo, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Osun, Ondo, Rivers, Benue, Cross River, Edo, where the state chairmen of NUT all condemned the abduction of students and teachers, and demanded immediate and unconditional release of victims.
The national president of NUT, Comrade Audu Titus Amba, who addressed newsmen at the headquarters of the union, Lugbe, Abuja, expressed deep concern over the worsening insecurity in schools, describing the continued abduction of teachers and students as a direct attack on education and the future of the nation.
He recalled that seven teachers and 39 pupils and students were kidnapped from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15, while more than 40 pupils were abducted from Mussa Primary and Secondary Schools in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State on the same day.
Amba lamented that more than two weeks after the incidents, the victims remained in captivity under harsh conditions, while families continued to suffer anxiety and uncertainty.
“It is heartbreaking to note that two of our colleagues have been gruesomely murdered in cold blood by the bandits in Oyo State. The fate of the remaining abductees remains uncertain,” he said.
The NUT president disclosed that the union had already directed all primary and secondary school teachers in Oyo State to withdraw their services indefinitely from June 1 until the abducted teachers and students are rescued.
He warned that the union would not hesitate to extend the industrial action nationwide if the situation persists.
“If it becomes obvious and necessary that we ask teachers all over the country to down tools, it is not going to be difficult. We have the responsibility to speak for our teachers whenever they are not secure in their places of duty,” Amba said.
“These teachers were attacked and kidnapped in the course of their duties. If people are not safe in their places of work, where then can they be safe? Schools should be safe havens for learning, not crime scenes.”
– Senate, Rep Warn Against Politicising Insecurity
The Senate observed a minute’s silence in honour of the deceased victims and commiserated with President Bola Tinubu and the government and people of Oyo State over the incident.
Akpabio said government would step up its security strategies to ensure that the victims in capacity were safely returned home.
The Senate president stated, “Today, we grieve the loss of two dedicated educators: Mr. Michael Oyedokun, who died in captivity, and Mr. Adesiyan Adegboye, who lost his life during the attack. We also mourn the child whose life was cut short before its promise could be fulfilled.
“We share the pain of the bereaved families. Their loss is our loss. Their sorrow is our sorrow. Their pain is our pain. Yet, even in the midst of grief, we remain hopeful that, through the determined efforts of the government and our security agencies, those still in captivity will be safely rescued and reunited with their loved ones.”
The House of Representatives on Tuesday also condemned in strong terms the gruesome killing of Mr. Michael Oyedokun who was beheaded by kidnappers, alongside students and other teachers.
According to the two motions on urgent public importance, aside from the 39 students/pupils and nine teachers abducted in Ogbomoso North, South/Oriire Local Government, Oyo State, no fewer than 42 students were also abducted at Mussa Ward School Children and others in Askira-Uba Local Government Area in Borno State.
Leading debate on the motion, Hon. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala, member representing Ogbomoso North/South/Oriire federal constituency of Oyo State, harped on the need for structural security reform.
Hon. Alao-Akala, who acknowledged ongoing rescue efforts by the security forces, however, called for speedy action towards the recruitment of the 1,000 Forest Guards for the South-West region as approved by the president.
He lamented that the Old Oyo National Park and its surrounding forests spanning over 15 kilometers are a vast, ungoverned wilderness straddling the border with Kwara State and opening onto international routes, a hidden highway through which these killers move freely, making the Orire axis the gateway through which terror is now creeping into the heart of the South-West.
In the bid to tackle the security challenges, he called for the decentralisation of Nigeria’s security architecture and the establishment of a truly federal system of policing, anchored on state police, local government policing units, decentralised courts, and integrated intelligence systems, as the most effective and constitutionally sound framework for combating the diverse, localised security threats confronting the nation.
– Our Priority Is Safe Return Of Our Students, Not Politics – Makinde
Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, on Tuesday appealed for national unity in the wake of the abduction, saying the incident should be treated as a collective challenge rather than an opportunity for political blame game.
The governor spoke while receiving members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), who staged a peaceful protest at the Governor’s Office in Ibadan over the abduction.
Speaking during the protest in Ibadan, the national president of NANS, Afeez Akinteye, stated that all NANS structures across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT were in the state to solicit the release of the abducted students and teachers.
He described the abductors as monsters, and called on Nigerians to come together to fight their common enemy.
The NANS president noted that the association is ready to partner with government and relevant stakeholders on the release of the captives.
Also speaking, chairman, NLC, Oyo State chapter, Kayode Martins, bemoaned that not only teachers and students are target of the kidnappers but all Nigerians, and that the NLC would not fold its arms and allow a repeat of the Chibok incident.
Governor Makinde, however, assured the protesters that security agencies were working tirelessly to secure the release of the victims, and that both state and federal authorities were collaborating closely on rescue efforts.
“This is a period that calls for unity. It is not a time to trade accusations or engage in politics. What is important now is bringing our children and their teachers back home safely,” he said.
Makinde, who spoke emotionally about the incident, recalled that his late father was a primary school teacher in a community close to where the attack occurred.
“My father taught in Awole Dada, not far from where this happened. When I think about it, I feel deeply touched because if such an incident had happened during his time, perhaps my own story would have been different,” he said.
According to him, insecurity remains a challenge that requires a united response from all levels of government and citizens.
“This is not the time to argue about who is responsible. Whether it is the federal, state or local government, what matters now is that we work together to overcome this challenge,” he stated.
Makinde described the kidnappers as ruthless individuals whose actions defy human reasoning.
He appealed to residents, workers, teachers and students to remain calm and continue to support security agencies as efforts to rescue the victims intensify.
Makinde disclosed that security personnel deployed by the Federal Government had remained actively involved in operations around the affected area.
In the same vein, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has assured protesting teachers and civil society organisations in Abuja that security agencies are intensifying efforts to secure the release of the abducted teachers and students, while cautioning against the politicisation of security challenges.
Addressing demonstrators who staged a protest on Tuesday in front of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Secretariat demanding the immediate rescue of the victims of recent school kidnappings, Wike said the Federal Government remained committed to ensuring the safe return of those in captivity.
“We are all concerned about this security situation. The government is on its toes to ensure that those who are kidnapped are rescued,” he assured.
Credit: Tribune Online
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