Atiku urges urgent action to stop bandit attacks on schools

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for an immediate state of emergency on security in Nigeria, citing the alarming increase in attacks on schools. He warned that these escalating assaults by terrorists and bandits could cripple the nation's education sector and hinder overall national development.

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The latest attack on a school in Kogi State is a direct threat to education and a colossal national embarrassment that demands urgent and drastic action.

Abubakar's plea follows a recent attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu, in Kogi State, where gunmen reportedly killed three people, including the school's Vice Principal, and abducted several students. The former Vice President stated that the recurring attacks on educational institutions appear to be a deliberate strategy to disrupt learning and instill widespread fear among students, teachers, and parents.

"The latest attack on a school in Kogi State is a direct threat to education and a colossal national embarrassment that demands urgent and drastic action," Abubakar said in a statement. He argued that Nigeria's deteriorating security situation necessitates extraordinary measures, including a state of emergency specifically focused on security operations. "It is high time the Federal Government declared a state of emergency to empower commanders with more freedom to act decisively and proactively with these monsters in the country," he urged.

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It is high time the Federal Government declared a state of emergency to empower commanders with more freedom to act decisively and proactively with these monsters in the country.

He clarified that his proposal does not entail suspending or removing elected state officials. Instead, the objective is to enhance security responses by granting commanders greater autonomy in their battlefield decisions, free from political interference. Abubakar expressed deep concern over the growing frequency of school attacks, referencing recent incidents in Oyo and Borno states where numerous schoolchildren were abducted and a principal was killed. He believes this pattern indicates a dangerous strategy by criminal groups aiming to destabilize Nigeria's education system.

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I am not in any way calling for the removal of elected officials, but rather advocating for commanders to have freer hand to protect their battlefield decisions from political interference.