The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has called for immediate and decisive action to stop the escalating attacks on schools across Nigeria.
NUT National President, Audu Amba, made the appeal at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, condemning the recent attacks in Kebbi and Niger States as “barbaric, unacceptable and a direct assault on the foundation of Nigeria’s education system.”
Amba expressed outrage over the killing of a Vice Principal and a security guard, and the abduction of 25 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, as well as over 300 pupils and 12 staff from St. Mary’s Catholic Schools in Niger State.
He stressed that every moment the children remain in captivity “is a scar on our collective conscience” and urged authorities to ensure the immediate release of the abducted students and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Recalling a disturbing pattern of mass school abductions over the past decade, Amba cited Chibok (2014), Dapchi (2018), Jangebe (2021), and other incidents in Kaduna, Zamfara, and other states.
He described the tragedies as “a horrifying failure” to implement the Safe Schools Declaration and other security frameworks, warning that ongoing attacks have forced some schools to close, “mortgaging the future of Nigerian children.”
Amba called on security agencies to intensify protection around schools and in all communities to safeguard students, staff, and residents from the inhuman activities of terrorists and bandits.
