The National Association of Nigerian Students, the foremost umbrella body representing millions of tertiary and secondary students across Nigeria, has raised a serious alarm over escalating insecurity in the country, emphasizing that attacks on educational institutions are threatening the future of Nigerian children and the nation’s educational framework.
Okay News reports that the concern follows a series of violent incidents targeting schools. On Monday, 25 schoolgirls were abducted from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, a town in Kebbi State in northwestern Nigeria. During this violent raid, the vice-principal of the school was reportedly killed by the attackers.
Earlier in the week, another alarming incident occurred in Niger State, located in north-central Nigeria, where armed men stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, within the Agwara Local Government Area. Several students and staff were abducted during the attack, heightening nationwide concern about the safety of students and educational personnel.
In a statement released on Friday, Adeyemi Ajasa, the National Public Relations Officer of NANS, expressed “profound sorrow and grave concern” over these incidents, describing them as “deliberate and strategic offensives by criminal elements seeking to induce widespread educational displacement and institutional breakdown.” He further highlighted that these attacks are far from isolated or random events.
“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,” the association stated.
NANS warned that the constant threat of violence is forcing students into an impossible dilemma between continuing their 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 added.
The students’ association also urged the Federal Government to abandon “piecemeal interventions and reactionary measures” and to demonstrate decisive political will to dismantle terror networks, their funding channels, and logistical support systems. NANS emphasized the urgent need for large-scale investment in modern surveillance systems, fortified community-based security frameworks, and comprehensive rural protection policies. The immediate rescue and reintegration of all abducted students must be a national priority.
“To the Nigerian Military High Command and all security agencies: There must be a decisive shift from reactive operations to proactive, intelligence-driven, and strategically coordinated security interventions. Enhanced inter-agency collaboration is imperative to eliminate redundancies, improve rapid-response capabilities, and ensure continuous monitoring of at-risk educational zones. The protection of schools and academic communities should be elevated to a central pillar of national security strategy,” Ajasa added.
While mourning the loss of innocent lives and praying for the safe return of abducted students, NANS reaffirmed its commitment to ongoing dialogue with all relevant stakeholders, promising sustained advocacy until every Nigerian student can study in safety.
“NANS remains steadfast, vigilant, and uncompromising. While we mourn the tragic loss of innocent lives and pray earnestly for the swift and safe return of all abducted students and citizens, we reaffirm our commitment to sustained, constructive engagement with all relevant stakeholders. Our advocacy will remain formidable and unyielding until the security of every Nigerian student is guaranteed without ambiguity or exception,” Ajasa concluded.
The association ended its statement with a stark warning: “The future of Nigerian education cannot and must not be surrendered to the forces that seek its destruction.”
