The Delta State Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Tuesday joined teachers across the country in a peaceful solidarity rally, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of teachers and learners abducted by bandits in Oyo State and other parts of Nigeria.
The rally, which culminated at Government House in Asaba, formed part of a nationwide protest organized by the NUT to draw attention to the plight of kidnapped teachers and students and to intensify calls for urgent government intervention.
Hundreds of teachers participated in the peaceful march, expressing deep concern over the deteriorating security situation in the country and the continued captivity of their colleagues and learners.
Speaking during the rally, Chairman of the Delta State Wing of the NUT, Comrade Dickson Poubeni, said the union remained unwavering in its commitment to securing the safe release of all abducted teachers and students.
He noted that the union would continue to explore every lawful avenue to ensure that those held captive are rescued and reunited with their families.
Poubeni described the abduction of teachers and students as a direct attack on Nigeria’s educational system and a grave threat to the future of the nation’s children.
He lamented the growing insecurity facing schools and communities across the country, stressing that the kidnapping of educators and learners undermines efforts to provide quality education and creates fear among both teachers and students.
“Today, we mourn the painful loss of colleagues who have been brutally murdered in cold blood. We also hear the desperate cries of a school principal and a teacher who have passionately appealed to the Federal Government, the Oyo State Government, the NUT, ANCOPSS, and all well-meaning Nigerians to urgently intervene and secure the release of those held captive through constructive engagement with their abductors,” Poubeni said.
He added that the prolonged captivity of the victims without any clear indication of their imminent rescue had compelled teachers nationwide to sustain their advocacy until the abducted teacher and learner regain their freedom.
“In view of the continued captivity of our colleagues and learners in the hands of their abductors, with no clear indication of their imminent rescue and safe release, we have joined teachers across the nation to raise our voices and sustain this call until the abducted teacher and learner returns safely to their families,” he stated.
Receiving the protesters on behalf of the Delta State Government, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Kingsley Emu, expressed the government’s solidarity with the abducted teachers, students and their families, assuring them that their plight remained a source of concern to authorities.
