Friday, December 19, 2025 - National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Titus Amba, has warned that if the worsening insecurity in schools is not urgently addressed, teachers in the country may withdraw their services.
Amba issued the warning following rising cases of banditry
and kidnappings targeting schools, especially in parts of northern Nigeria.
The abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State, the kidnapping
of hundreds of students in Niger, and attacks on pupils in Kwara have further
deepened concerns over the safety of teachers and learners in the country.
The closure of several boarding schools in vulnerable areas,
as authorities struggle to guarantee safety, has resulted from persistent
attacks by bandits.
Amba spoke while responding to questions from journalists
shortly after the 8th quadrennial delegates’ conference of the Jigawa State
chapter of the union, held on Thursday at the Manpower Development Institute,
Dutse, the state capital.
The NUT National President, while lamenting the growing
attacks on schools, described the trend as a direct assault on education and
the lives of teachers and pupils.
According to him, “We have seen cases where students are
abducted in large numbers and teachers are targeted, yet the system continues
as if nothing serious has happened.”
Amba lamented that education workers have increasingly
become victims of violent attacks while discharging their duties, noting that
in Kebbi State, a vice principal was killed in the line of duty; while in Niger
and Kwara States, hundreds of students were kidnapped. In many parts of the
country, teachers have been abducted while trying to teach children.
He stated that teachers cannot continue to work under
constant threat, urging governments at all levels to treat school security as a
national emergency.
The NUT president clarified that the union was not issuing
threats lightly but insisted on the fundamental right of teachers to work in a
safe environment, saying that teaching is a noble profession, not a death
sentence. He emphasized that members are ready to do their jobs, but they must
first be alive to teach.
Amba also called for the fortification of security around
schools, especially in rural and high-risk communities, through the deployment
of security personnel and the use of technology to monitor threats.
He explained that the union expects concrete action, not
just promises, to secure schools and protect teachers and learners so that
teachers can continue their work in the classrooms without fear.
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