NANS relocates national secretariat to Niger over student’s kidnap 

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

Asefon said that, though, the decision was unpalatable and regrettable but they are left with no option because of the rising insecurity and threat to lives of students in the state and other northern states.

Asefon said they can’t fold their arms anymore and trust the government or the security apparatus to secure schools, while some “mindless cowards” continue to troop into the schools on motorcycles, and kidnap students without any form of resistance.

NANS President in a statement called for immediate and temporary closure of schools in states with serious security threats, particularly in schools, until the situation of security in schools improves.

He said that NANS was unhappy that, barely 24 hours after students of Greenfield University in Kaduna were released by their abductors, about 200 students of an Islamiyya school were kidnapped in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.

He said: “The incessant kidnapping of students in the North West calls for an immediate and radical move by the government. We have been daunted by the unending news of the kidnapping of students in their hundreds within the last two years.

“This development is not only unacceptable, it challenges the fabrics of our national development, unity, cohesion and possess a great danger to our educational institutions.

“The government at various levels has, obviously, shown little or no capacity in confronting the scourge of kidnapping in the North West. We have lost numbers of our students to some of these incidences.

“That students numbering up to 200 could be kidnapped and taken out of their schools/town without any form of resistance by security apparatus calls for serious concern. We have waited so long for the security around schools to be greatly improved to ensure our students are secured, but we have seen little or no improvement in that regard.”

He said that NANS having considered the continuous threats to the life of students and the reactionary pace of security apparatus response, had called for immediate, and temporary closure of all schools in the North West until security in school is improved.

“We regret this position but we are left with no practical option than to take this position. As much as the education of our students and members is important, it’s important when there is life. The right to life of our students cannot be compromised for anything.

Meanwhile, NANS has declared June 11th and 12th as national students’ day of prayers and national day of peaceful protest to, first, offer prayers for the repose of students who have died in the hand of kidnappers.

Secondly, to peacefully call on the government to take decisive action towards addressing insecurity in schools, campuses and also announce proactive measures or strategies towards ensuring safer schools.

NANS President directed all the structures of NANS, namely, zonal, state and chapters, to immediately begin mobilization for the national prayer and protest on the date announced respectively.

“While I will lead the protest in one of the state in the country, NANS leaders across our various structures shall lead students in protest against insecurity in all the 36 States of the Federation,” he said.