NANS school insecurity alarm: Students’ association urges urgent federal action after abductions and attacks threaten Nigeria’s education system
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has raised the alarm over escalating attacks on schools across Nigeria, warning that the safety of students and the integrity of the nation’s education system are at serious risk.
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The call follows a series of violent incidents, including the abduction of 25 schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, where the school’s vice-principal was also killed.
Earlier on Friday, armed assailants stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, Niger State, abducting students and staff.
In a statement, NANS National Public Relations Officer Adeyemi Ajasa expressed “profound sorrow and grave concern” over the rising tide of school attacks.
He described the assaults as “deliberate and strategic offensives by criminal elements seeking to induce widespread educational displacement and institutional breakdown.”
“The recent, targeted assaults on academic institutions are neither isolated occurrences nor random acts of violence,” the statement said.
“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.”
Ajasa warned that students are being forced into an impossible choice between pursuing education and ensuring personal safety, a situation he described as “unacceptable in any civilized society” and a threat to Nigeria’s stability and development.
NANS called on the Federal Government to move beyond piecemeal interventions, urging large-scale investment in modern surveillance systems, fortified community-based security frameworks, and comprehensive rural protection policies.
The association also demanded proactive, intelligence-driven operations from the Nigerian Military High Command and all security agencies to safeguard schools and academic communities.
While mourning the loss of lives and praying for the safe return of abducted students, NANS emphasised its continued commitment to dialogue and advocacy.
“Our advocacy will remain formidable and unyielding until the security of every Nigerian student is guaranteed without ambiguity or exception,” Ajasa said.
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The students’ association concluded with a stern warning: “The future of Nigerian education cannot and must not be surrendered to the forces that seek its destruction.”
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
