Members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Tuesday staged coordinated protests across several states, demanding stronger security measures to protect schools and secure the release of abducted students and teachers.
The demonstrations took place in Abuja, Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Borno, Kano, Taraba, Adamawa, Sokoto, Anambra, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Kwara and other parts of the country.
The protests were triggered by recent attacks on schools in Borno and Oyo states, where dozens of pupils and teachers were abducted by armed groups in May.
In Borno State, suspected Boko Haram insurgents reportedly attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area, abducting more than 40 children. Around the same period, gunmen invaded schools in the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities of Oyo State, abducting students and teachers. Two of the kidnapped teachers were later killed.
Addressing protesters in Abuja, NUT President, Comrade Audu Titus Amba, condemned the attacks and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all victims still being held captive.
“An attack on teachers is an attack on education, and an attack on education is an attack on the future of Nigeria,” he said.
Amba criticised the effectiveness of the Safe Schools Initiative introduced after the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction, arguing that schools across the country remain vulnerable despite government interventions.
The union urged the Federal Government to review the programme, strengthen security architecture around educational institutions and address gaps that continue to expose teachers and students to danger.
Across the states, teachers expressed concern over the growing insecurity affecting the education sector.
In Kano State, NUT leaders called for enhanced protection of schools, while their counterparts in Kwara warned that no school in Nigeria could currently be considered completely safe.
In Taraba State, union officials described the repeated attacks on schools as a direct threat to the nation’s future, stressing that educational institutions should remain places of learning rather than centres of fear.
The protests also gained support from labour unions and civil society groups. In Ogun State, demonstrators marched to the state secretariat, demanding urgent government action. The protest briefly turned tense when security operatives attempted to prevent the protesters from entering the complex, but they eventually gained access and continued their demonstration.
Meanwhile, families of abducted pupils and teachers in Oyo State rejected relief materials reportedly brought by government representatives, insisting that their primary concern was the safe return of their loved ones.
The Oyo State Chairman of the NUT, Hassan Fatai, warned that teachers were increasingly afraid to return to classrooms and called for stronger security measures to protect schools.
Governor Seyi Makinde, while addressing protesters, appealed for unity in tackling insecurity, describing the attacks as a national challenge that requires collective action.
In Lagos, teachers gathered at the State House of Assembly and issued a one-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to take decisive steps against rising insecurity and school abductions.
The demonstrations come amid renewed concerns over attacks on schools across Nigeria. Records from monitoring groups indicate that more than 2,500 students have been kidnapped in at least 31 school attacks since 2014.
Although the Federal Government has introduced several measures, including the Safe Schools Initiative and the recently launched Smart School Protection Strategy, teachers say more practical action is needed to guarantee the safety of learners and educators nationwide.
The NUT warned that if the security situation continues to deteriorate, stronger actions, including nationwide disruption of academic activities, may be considered to compel urgent government intervention.
