The National Association of Nigerian Students has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government, threatening nationwide civil action if schools are not adequately protected from repeated terrorist attacks.
In a statement signed Wednesday, November 26, NANS National President, Olushola Oladoja, said the Safe School Initiative has failed “despite huge funding and repeated government promises,” leaving students exposed to abductions and violent assaults.
Oladoja said Nigeria has endured a “cycle of grief” for over a decade, marked by poor coordination, intelligence lapses, and leadership complacency.
“Too many schools had fallen to terrorists under circumstances that pointed to systemic failures,” he said.
He called on the National Security Adviser, Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, and Service Chiefs to set up a high-level panel to investigate possible internal sabotage, noting that last week’s Kebbi attack occurred shortly after a military withdrawal.
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“The panel must examine security lapses, command failures, and reasons for repeated troop withdrawals shortly before major attacks,” Oladoja said.
Warning of escalating action, he stated, “If these measures are not urgently implemented, NANS will initiate nationwide civil disobedience, including highway and airport shutdowns, and peaceful mass protests.”
He added, “We can no longer stand by while terrorists destroy what remains of our education system. The era of silence is over.
“NANS stands united, resolute, and ready to defend the Nigerian student identity by dialogue if possible, and by mass civil action if necessary.”
The warning follows renewed violence in northern Nigeria, including the abduction of 24 schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, and the seizure of hundreds of students and staff at St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, Niger State, of whom 50 have since escaped.