NUT’s demand for security beef-up around schools

The demand by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) for fortified security around schools and the full implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative nationwide is quite timely and important. The demand came on the heels of the recent release of the abducted pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Some terrorists had, on May 15, 2026, launched coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinele, and L.A. Primary School, Ahoro-Esinele, all in Oriire LGA of Oyo State. They killed an assistant headmaster and a motorcycle rider and abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers from the affected schools. The terrorists later killed another teacher while in captivity. 

On the same May 15, some insurgents also abducted 42 schoolchildren in Mussa Central Primary School and Government Secondary School, Mussa, in Askira/Uba LGA of Borno State. These children are yet to regain their freedom. Nigerians were yet to overcome these traumatic incidents when some other group of terrorists kidnapped a primary school headmaster, Mr. Matthew Owoade, at Ogodu, Igbojaye in Itesiwaju LGA of Oyo State. The abductors reportedly demanded a ransom of N30 million. This left the family of the victims traumatised. Happily, Mr. Owoade regained his freedom barely two days after he was abducted.     

Major terror attacks on schools started with the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State in April 2014. The girls spent over one year in captivity before some of them were released by Boko Haram insurgents. Some of them are still in captivity. Thousands of students have been kidnapped since then.

In February 2018, the same Boko Haram terrorists invaded Government Girls’ Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, and abducted 110 schoolgirls. Four of the girls died in captivity while 105 others were released after over a month. One of the victims, Miss Leah Sharibu, is yet to regain her freedom since then because she refused to denounce her Christian faith.

Last year, terrorists abducted 25 schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu LGA of Kebbi State and killed the vice-principal. In November 2021, some daredevil terrorists also attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School at Papiri in Agwara LGA of Niger State and abducted over 300 schoolchildren and 12 teachers. Similar mass kidnap incidents have occurred in many other schools in Niger, Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Sokoto states among others.

The resurgence of terrorist activities in West Africa, the Sahel region and some other parts of Africa prompted the United States to warn recently that the Islamic State (ISIS) posed a formidable threat to West Africa. In its 2026 counterterrorism strategy document, the US noted that the collapse of ISIS strongholds in Iraq and Syria made its surviving remnants and affiliated jihadist groups to relocate to Africa and Central Asia where they exploited ungoverned spaces.   

Unfortunately, unprotected schools, especially those located in remote areas, are more vulnerable and have become soft targets for these terrorists and bandits. We agree with the NUT that the continued targeting of schools threatens children’s constitutional right to quality education and undermines national development. Unsafe schools will lead to children abandoning their education. This will increase the number of out-of-school children. Currently, Nigeria is among countries with the highest number of children outside the school system. 

Understandably, the NUT president, Mr. Titus Amba, urged the government to deploy adequate security personnel and modern surveillance system to vulnerable areas. While he commended the federal and state governments as well as security operatives for ensuring the successful rescue of the abducted Oyo children and their teachers, he also implored the government at all levels to strengthen security around schools across the country and establish emergency response systems for schools in high-risk areas.

“The union therefore calls on the Federal Government, state governments, security agencies, and all relevant stakeholders to, as a matter of urgency, intensify efforts to rescue all teachers, learners, and other innocent Nigerians still in captivity,” Amba said.

Going forward, safe school initiative should be comprehensively implemented. If all schools are protected by the initiative, it will go a long way in securing the school environment. Any other scheme that will ensure the safety of pupils and teachers deserves to be encouraged. However, government should target the security of all Nigerians, including schoolchildren and teachers. It should speed up the establishment of dual policing system, which will midwife community policing.

Government should also deploy technology, CCTV cameras and some other security gadgets to monitor schools and high-risk areas. Relevant government agencies should educate the citizens to be more security conscious. Securing children in their schools is a task for everybody. While security agencies are enjoined to do their part, citizens owe it a duty to report any clandestine movement around schools and other vulnerable places.