The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Oyo State chapter, and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday staged a protest over the continued captivity of abducted students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Speaking during the protest held at the Oyo State Governor’s Office, the National President of NANS, Comrade Babatunde Akinteye Afeez, said members of the association from across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were in the state to demand the release of the abducted victims.
He described the abductors as “monsters” and called on Nigerians to unite against what he termed a common enemy.
According to him, it is time for governments at all levels to ensure the safe release of the kidnapped students and teachers, stressing that the association’s top priority remains their rescue.
Afeez added that NANS is ready to partner with the government and relevant stakeholders to secure the release of those in captivity.
In his remarks, the NUT Chairman in Oyo State, Comrade Hassan Fatai, said teachers across the state are demanding justice and urgent action.
“We are here this morning to sympathise with our people over this dastardly act by terrorists. Government should fast-track the release of those abducted,” he said.
“Teachers are now living in fear. We can no longer go to classes. We demand improved security architecture so that our students and teachers are no longer exposed to such attacks.”
He, however, noted that teachers across the state would continue to stay away from classrooms until the abducted victims are released.
Also speaking, the NLC Chairman in the state, Comrade Kayode Martins, lamented that not only teachers and students are targets of kidnappers, but Nigerians in general.
He warned that the labour movement would not allow a repeat of incidents like the Chibok abduction, stressing that the primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives and property.
“We are begging, we are crying, and we are pleading for the safe release of our students and teachers,” he said.
Addressing the protesters, Governor Seyi Makinde said the situation calls for unity rather than blame or political division.
“This is a time of national distress, not a time to trade blame or play politics. It is time for all Nigerians to come together and deal decisively with the perpetrators,” he said.
The governor added, “I am personally distressed. My father was a primary school teacher at Ahoro Dada, just a few kilometres from where this incident occurred between 1959 and 1960. If he had been kidnapped then, I might not have become governor.”
Makinde described the perpetrators as inhumane, urging Nigerians to unite in confronting the growing security challenges.
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