The National Association of Nigerian Students has raised the alarm over the rising wave of insecurity in Nigeria, warning that attacks on schools are putting the future of the nation’s children and its education system at serious risk.
The concern comes after a series of violent incidents. On Monday, 25 schoolgirls were abducted from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State. During the attack, the school’s vice-principal was also killed.
Earlier today, another school was targeted in Niger State. Armed men stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, abducting students and staff.
In a statement released on Friday, NANS National PRO, Adeyemi Ajasa, expressed “profound sorrow and grave concern” over the growing attacks on schools, calling them “deliberate and strategic offensives by criminal elements seeking to induce widespread educational displacement and institutional breakdown.”
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Highlighting the recent attacks, the students’ association said: “The recent, targeted assaults on academic institutions are neither isolated occurrences nor random acts of violence. They represent a deliberate and strategic offensive by criminal elements seeking to induce widespread educational displacement and institutional breakdown. The abduction of students in Kebbi State stands as a grim testament to the escalating brutality of these non-state actors.”
NANS warned that the constant threat of violence is forcing students into an impossible choice between pursuing education and protecting their personal safety.
“These incidents have forced countless students into a distressing dilemma: the need to choose between the pursuit of education and the preservation of personal safety. Such a reality is unacceptable in any civilized society, and its continuation threatens the stability, development, and global standing of Nigeria,” the statement read.
Punch/Timothy Kayode
