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NUT Launches Nationwide Protest Over Abducted Teachers, Students as Schools Shut Down in Oyo
By Dayo Dare
The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, has launched a nationwide protest following the abduction of 47 students and teachers from the Ahoro-Esiele community in Oyo State, amid growing concerns over insecurity and attacks on schools across the country.
Academic activities have been suspended in 33 public schools across affected local government areas in Oyo State in compliance with a directive issued by the NUT national leadership in Abuja.
Teachers, parents and concerned residents have taken to the streets in a series of peaceful demonstrations, demanding the immediate release of the abducted students and teachers who were kidnapped from public and private schools in the Oriire Local Government Area.
In Ogbomoso, protesters marched through major roads, calling on security agencies and government authorities to intensify efforts to rescue the victims and improve security around schools.
Security personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other agencies were deployed to strategic locations across the city to maintain order during the demonstrations.
In neighboring Ogun State, residents of Abeokuta also staged protests against the abduction and the worsening security situation across the country.
The demonstrators carried placards with inscriptions such as “Bring Back Our Schoolchildren,” “Stop Kidnapping and Banditry,” and “End Terrorism in Nigeria.”
The protests are expected to intensify as teachers across the federation converge on state government secretariats today for coordinated rallies organized by the NUT.
The union said the nationwide demonstrations are aimed at demanding the unconditional release of teachers and learners abducted in Oyo State and other parts of the country, while drawing attention to the increasing wave of kidnappings targeting schools and education workers.
The protests also come as residents of Borno State continue to express concern over what they describe as the Federal Government’s silence regarding the abduction of 42 primary and junior secondary school students from Mussa community in Askira-Uba Local Government Area.
With insecurity increasingly affecting schools across several states, stakeholders have renewed calls for stronger security measures to protect students, teachers and educational institutions nationwide.
