Oyo teachers commence strike over abducted colleagues, pupils

Teachers across Oyo State on Monday commenced an indefinite strike in protest against the abduction of their colleagues and some schoolchildren, demanding urgent action from security agencies and the state government to secure their safe release.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) over the weekend directed all public primary and secondary school teachers in Oyo State to commence an indefinite strike over the continued abduction of teachers and pupils in the state.

Hassan Fatai, the wing chairman, and Salami Olukayode, secretary of NUT Oyo State, in a signed statement, stated that the prolonged captivity of the abductees has created fear and anxiety among teachers and disrupted confidence in the school system.

“The situation has also discouraged parents from sending their children to school and heightened tension within affected communities,” the union said.

Read also: NUT directs Oyo teachers to embark on indefinite strike over abduction

Consequent to the directive of the teachers’ union, the teachers began an indefinite strike on Monday, June 1, which has disrupted academic activities in public schools across the state.

The teachers’ union leadership emphasised that the strike is geared towards urgent government action to secure the safe release of the victims, whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Besides, the NUT explained that the strike aims at drawing the attention of government authorities to the need for intensified efforts to secure the immediate and unconditional release of the abducted teachers and pupils.

Moreover, the teachers’ leadership in Oyo State enjoined all union members to comply comprehensively with the directive, and ensure their safety while staying away from classrooms throughout the period of the industrial action.

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Recall that unknown gunmen abducted 39 students and seven ⁠teachers in an attack targeting several schools in Nigeria’s southwestern Oyo State on Friday, May 15.

The attack took place in ⁠Ahoro Esinele community in Oriire district, targeting a secondary school and two primary schools.

Mass ⁠kidnappings by armed groups have become a serious security challenge in Nigeria in recent years, with criminal gangs exploiting weak security to target travellers, students, and rural communities for cash payments. Schools are often targeted, although such ‌attacks ‌are rare in the southwest of the country.