Lessons from NUT’s stand on Oyo abductions

The decision by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Oyo State chapter, to commence an indefinite strike in response to school abductions in the state introduces a new dimension to the persistent crisis of abduction affecting Nigerian schools. The union’s resolute stance on this matter warrants commendation and teachers and other pressure groups from northern […]

The decision by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Oyo State chapter, to commence an indefinite strike in response to school abductions in the state introduces a new dimension to the persistent crisis of abduction affecting Nigerian schools. The union’s resolute stance on this matter warrants commendation and teachers and other pressure groups from northern Nigeria should learn from this.

We observe that since the directive was issued via a joint national circular by the NUT National President, Audu Amba, and Secretary General, Clinton Ikpitibo, instructing all public schools in the state to close until definitive government action is taken to recover the victims of the school abductions, compliance has been complete. Solidarity rallies have also been organised in several other states across the country.

While industrial actions necessitating school closures and the resultant interruption are detrimental to students’ learning, we acknowledge this difficult measure as a necessary impetus for the government to address the pervasive insecurity within the nation.

The abductions on 15 May, involving 46 individuals comprising students and teachers from three schools – namely, Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and LA Primary School – in Orire Local Government Area, Oyo State, and a further 42 students from Mussa Central Primary School, Government Day Junior Secondary School, and State Universal Basic Education Board School in Askira-Uba LGA, Borno State, are profoundly distressing. These incidents represent only the most recent in a protracted series of mass abductions of students from schools across the country. Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) indicates that over 2,255 students have been abducted from their schools since the Chibok abductions in 2014.

These abductions are not merely bloodless hostage scenarios; they frequently result in fatal encounters for students, teachers, and education support staff. In 70 attacks documented by Save the Children, 184 pupils have lost their lives directly during and immediately following the initial incursions by terrorists or kidnap-for-ransom groups. The tragic killing of Joel Adegboye Adeyisan (48), a teacher present during the abduction, and the subsequent beheading of Mr Michael Oyedokun (57), a mathematics teacher, along with the killing of a local commercial motorcyclist in the Oyo abductions, regrettably augment these statistics. Of the abducted Chibok Girls, approximately 90 remain unaccounted for, 12 years after their abduction.

We must commend the efforts of security operatives in their attempts to track down the abductors of the Oyo schoolchildren and those in Borno. These efforts led to one security operative making the ultimate sacrifice, while several others sustained injuries from an improvised explosive device. We honour these heroes and demand that the government compensate the family of the deceased and provide care for the injured. While it would be reassuring to state with confidence that their sacrifice, and that of the school teachers, would not be in vain, such a statement would be disingenuous.

The frequent recurrence of these abductions and the audacity of these terrorist groups provide no indication that this trend is abating. The N145 billion Safe School Initiative (SSI) has not demonstrated any improvement in security for schools or the students within them. The initiative fails by its central premise of encouraging students to shelter behind high walls, which in most cases have not been constructed, rather than prioritising the elimination of the threat to students and society at large. Neither the promised early-warning frameworks nor the rapid response security forces in rural schools, which are key components of the initiative, have materialised.

One conclusion is clear: this situation cannot be allowed to persist. In this regard, we commend the NUT for its decision to adopt this stance as a pressure group. The government has been in desperate need of a compelling wake-up call.

We extend our deepest sympathies to those who lost their lives during and after the abductions, to the kidnap victims, and to other students who, by this decision, are compelled to remain at home. Ultimately, we hope that in the long term, this action will result in genuinely safer schools for Nigerian students and their teachers. We also commend the NUT for making exceptions for secondary school students taking their final examinations.

Governor Seyi Makinde’s immediate efforts to engage the teachers in negotiations are commendable. The same commendation is hereby extended to Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State.

However, anything less than the safe return of the abducted students and sincere, definitive measures to protect schools falls significantly short of expectations.

The pervasive nature of these abductions has regrettably normalised their occurrence within the Nigerian consciousness. This normalisation should not be acceptable. The Federal Government must, as a matter of urgency, implement tangible measures to ensure that terrorists face the full force of the law for their offences, rather than being rewarded with ransom payments. The era of complacency must end immediately, and the government must proactively address this challenge. We thank the NUT in Oyo State for demonstrating to other chapters, particularly in the most afflicted states, that passivity in the face of these threats constitutes a disservice to the students under their care.