Enugu teachers besiege govt house, demand release of abducted Oyo pupils

Members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Enugu State staged a protest at the Enugu State Government House on Tuesday, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of schoolchildren and teachers recently abducted by bandits in Oyo State. The demonstrators carried placards with messages such as “An attack on teachers is an attack on Education,” expressing grave concern over the escalating insecurity affecting educational institutions across Nigeria.

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Our teachers are discharging their work normally, and these children went to school, and they didn’t come back, and they have not come back up till now. It happens in many other states of the Federation, Borno, Nassarawa and other states, Niger.

Comrade Theophilus Odo, the Enugu State Chairman of the NUT, spoke on behalf of the protesters. He lamented that schools are increasingly becoming high-risk environments for both educators and students. Odo explained that the protest aligned with a directive from the national headquarters of the union in Abuja, aiming to pressure governments at all levels to enhance the security of learning institutions.

"Our teachers are discharging their work normally, and these children went to school, and they didn’t come back, and they have not come back up till now. It happens in many other states of the Federation, Borno, Nassarawa and other states, Niger," Odo stated, illustrating the widespread nature of the problem. He appealed to all levels of government to intervene decisively and persuade the federal government to secure the unconditional release of the abducted individuals, emphasizing that such incidents could affect anyone.

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So we are here to appeal to all the governments on behalf of the Nigerian teachers headquarters in Abuja that they should put their foot down and persuade the federal government to immediately and unconditionally release our teachers because this could happen to any other person.

The protesters stressed that schools should not be danger zones. They called for schools to be made safe so that teachers and children can engage in learning without fear. Governor Peter Mbah was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidi Onyia, who received the protesters. Onyia commended the peaceful nature of the demonstration and assured the union that their concerns would be conveyed to the governor for engagement with federal authorities.

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We want them to keep our schools safe so that teachers will be comfortable going to school, in fact, school should not be a danger zone for the teachers and children, that is why we are here sir at the government house to register our protest.