Oyo abduction: FCT teachers protest insecurity, demand safer schools

Teachers under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Federal Capital Territory Wing, on Tuesday Photo: Gift Habib

Teachers under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Federal Capital Territory Wing, on Tuesday staged a solidarity rally in Abuja to demand greater protection for educators and learners and to call for the safe return of kidnapped victims across the country. The rally, which commenced at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Education and proceeded to Area 11, drew teachers, union leaders, education stakeholders and supporters carrying placards with inscriptions such as “End The Reign of Fear in Our Schools” “Teachers Deserve Security, not Fear” “Kidnapping Has no Place in Education,” among others. The demonstration, held under the theme “United for Education, Together for Our Future,” aimed at drawing attention to the growing insecurity confronting schools and educational institutions nationwide. At least 82 pupils were abducted between May 13 and 15 during separate attacks in Oyo and Borno states. In Borno State, 42 pupils were kidnapped after armed groups attacked schools in Askira Uba and Chibok Local Government Areas on May 13 and 14. In Oyo State, another 40 pupils were abducted on May 15 during coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, in Oriire Local Government Area of the state. The Oyo attack also claimed the lives of a mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, a motorcyclist and some security operatives during rescue efforts. Addressing participants during the rally, the Chairman of NUT FCT, Abdullahi Shafa, said the protest complied with a directive from the union’s national headquarters. “We are acting on the directives of the National Headquarters of this union. They instructed us, in every state of the federation, to embark on a solidarity rally in protest against what has happened to our teachers and students in parts of the country,” the state chairman said. Shafa lamented the killing of the teacher and the continued attacks on educators and students, describing the situation as disturbing and detrimental to the nation’s educational development. He stated, “A kidnapped teacher in Oyo State was beheaded without any just cause. This was someone who had dedicated his life to imparting knowledge to students, yet that was the fate he met. “It is touching, horrifying and devastating that a teacher who has committed himself to ensuring that children receive quality education could be killed in such a manner, all in the name of kidnapp