Fear of further abduction of pupils and students has forced schools to shut down after the unfortunate incidents in Kebbi, Kwara and Niger states.
It was gathered that teachers and students across four local government areas of Kwara State have stayed away from schools in line with the directive of the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state.
The action of the teachers and students, according to checks, was based on the incessant bandits attacks in the four local government areas- Isin, Irepodun, Oke-Ero, Ifelodun and Ekiti LGAs of the state, the most recent being last Tuesday’s bandits attack in Eruku town in Ekiti Local Government Area of the state where three people were killed and over 30 people were abducted by bandits.
The directive was communicated through the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Kwara State Wing, which conveyed the government’s decision to school heads and teachers.
In a circular, the NUT Chairman, Yusuf Agboola, announced that schools in Isin, Irepodun, Ifelodun and Ekiti LGAs should shut down indefinitely.
Agboola explained that the union acted strictly on instructions from the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development after the government raised concerns about fresh security threats in Kwara South.
He said the order was urgent and necessary, noting that the region had been experiencing escalating security challenges that required immediate intervention. School authorities were urged to comply without delay.
“This decision was occasioned by the security challenges ravaging the area and the efforts of the government to control the situation”, the circular stated, assuring teachers that further information would be provided as events unfold.
However, latest reports from the four local government areas revealed that teachers and students were not at their schools in compliance with the NUT directive to schools heads and teachers in the affected four LGAs
It was gathered that some of the students who were not aware of the directive were asked to go back home.
In a chat on the development, a parent, Mrs. Juliana Oyesoji said that the closure of schools in the four local government areas is a good one, adding that the present situation in the affected local government areas needs urgent attention to avoid the students and pupils from being kidnapped by bandits.
She urged the government to provide more security personnel to the affected local government areas to protect the lives and property of residents.
