Following Kebbi and Niger Abductions, NANS Warns Insecurity Threatens Educational Collapse.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a dire warning, stating that the surging wave of insecurity is placing the future of the nation’s children and its entire education system at serious risk. This urgent concern follows a wave of violent incidents, including the Monday abduction of 25 schoolgirls and the killing of a vice-principal in Maga, Kebbi State. The crisis worsened today with the raid on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, where armed men kidnapped students and staff. NANS National PRO, Adeyemi Ajasa, released a statement Friday expressing “profound sorrow and grave concern,” asserting these are “deliberate and strategic offensives by criminal elements” designed to cause “widespread educational displacement and institutional breakdown.”
Highlighting the severity of the situation, the students’ association declared that the recent, targeted assaults on academic institutions are “neither isolated occurrences nor random acts of violence.” Instead, they view them as a “deliberate and strategic offensive by criminal elements seeking to induce widespread educational displacement and institutional breakdown.” NANS cited the Kebbi State abduction as a “grim testament to the escalating brutality of these non-state actors.” The association warned that this constant threat of violence is pushing students into an untenable choice, stating: “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.” NANS deemed this reality unacceptable, warning that its persistence threatens Nigeria’s stability and global standing.
The association called on the Federal Government to abandon “piecemeal interventions and reactionary measures,” issuing clear, non-negotiable demands.
To the Federal Government: NANS demanded the demonstration of unequivocal political will to dismantle the operational networks, funding channels, and logistical lifelines of terror groups. Specific demands include immediate, large-scale investments in modern surveillance systems, fortified community-based security frameworks, and comprehensive rural protection policies. The unconditional rescue and reintegration of every abducted student must be prioritized nationally.
To the Military and Security Agencies: NANS called for a decisive shift from reactive operations to proactive, intelligence-driven, and strategically coordinated security interventions. The association stressed that enhanced inter-agency collaboration is vital to eliminate redundancies, improve rapid-response capabilities, and ensure continuous monitoring of at-risk educational zones. The protection of schools must be elevated to a central pillar of national security strategy.
PRO Ajasa emphasized that while NANS mourns and prays for the safe return of victims, the association remains committed to sustained, constructive engagement with all stakeholders. NANS concluded with a stern warning: “The future of Nigerian education cannot and must not be surrendered to the forces that seek its destruction.”
