The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has placed its members on alert for a possible nationwide strike, warning that the growing insecurity in schools poses a grave threat to teachers, education workers and students.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, NUT President Titus Amba-Audu accused the Federal Government of paying lip service to education security and failing to fully implement the Safe Schools Declaration. He said this neglect has contributed to the surge in attacks targeting the education sector.
Nigeria’s school system has come under repeated assault in the past month, including the abduction of 25 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Science College, Maga in Kebbi State, and the kidnapping of 315 pupils and students from Saint Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papari, Niger State.
Amba-Audu, like many concerned Nigerians, expressed deep outrage over the incidents. He condemned the killing of a vice principal and a security guard during the Maga school attack and said these tragedies highlight the dangerous conditions in which educators now work.
The NUT lamented that the worsening insecurity has already forced some schools to shut down, endangering the future of children and underscoring the government’s failure to enforce the Safe Schools Declaration and related protection policies.
