The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has warned that it could embark on nationwide strike, following a recent surge in attacks on schools by terrorists.
Fulani terrorists abducted 25 girls from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Kebbi State, last Tuesday. Three days after, the terrorists invaded a Catholic secondary school in Niger, abducting 303 children. However, 50 of them escaped from their abductors on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference on behalf of the National Executive Council (NEC) and NUT members in Abuja on Tuesday, the Union’s National President, Audu Titus Amba, expressed profound outrage over the incidents.
The NUT also condemned the brutal killing of a Vice Principal and a security guard, as well as the abduction of 25 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.
They also condemned the abduction of over 300 pupils and 12 staff from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara LGA, Niger State.
The Union also described these attacks as barbaric and unacceptable, calling on the Federal Government to halt the incessant kidnappings and assaults on schools to prevent a collapse of the nation’s education system.
These grievous attacks are not only assaults on schools, teachers and learners, but direct blows to the foundation of education and the sustainable development of our nation. Classrooms are meant to be sanctuaries for nurturing young minds. The destruction of these learning environments spells doom not just for our children, but for the nation as a whole” he said
The Union lamented that recent attacks have forced some schools to close, mortgaging the future of children and exposing the failure of government to implement the Safe Schools Declaration and related policies aimed at protecting schools.
NUT further called on federal and state governments to prioritise the safe rescue of abducted students and staff and to strengthen security measures around schools, especially in vulnerable areas.
“The recent attacks are a tragic reminder that teachers and learners have become an endangered species, increasingly subjected to horrific attacks and kidnappings, often resulting in death.
If this inhuman and deadly trend continues, the NUT will have no option but to call on all teachers to down tools and stay at home until their safety and security are guaranteed. Stop the attacks on schools now” he added.
