National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has declared June 12 as “national day of protest” for Nigerian students.
Its National President, Sunday Asefon, said the country has nothing to celebrate marking June 12 as Democracy Day when students were being killed and kidnapped by bandits. He declared June 11 and 12 as national days of prayers for Nigeria to win the war against banditry, killings and kidnappings across the nation. He also demanded immediate and temporary closure of schools in the North West and North East until adequate security is put in place to guarantee the safety of students.
Asefon, who spoke in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday, in an interview with journalists, said insecurity had reached a frightening peak, as students no longer go to school with the guarantee that they would return home safely.
He decried that barely 24 hours after students of Greenfield University in Kaduna were released by their abductors, about 200 students of Islamiyya School were kidnapped in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, in a shocking and bizarre fashion.
He said incessant and incurable kidnapping of students in the North West and North Central calls for immediate and radical action.
“NANS under my leadership, having considered the continuous threats to the lives of our students and the lukewarm pace of security apparatuses to these nefarious crimes, we regrettably call on government to order immediate and temporary closure of all schools in the North West and North Central until adequate security is put in place.
“Government and security apparatuses have failed us, we can no longer trust them. We are daunted by the endless news of kidnapping of students in their hundreds within the last two years. This development is not only unacceptable, it challenges the very fabric of our national development, unity, cohesion and portends grave danger to our educational institutions.”
Asefon, who stated that while NANS regretted that the situation could degenerate to this abysmal point to warrant the demand, said he was left with no practical alternative than to ask for the closure of schools.
Describing prayers as the pillar of success for any nation, NANS declares 11th and 12th June, as the national students’ day of prayers for the repose of the students, who died in the hands of kidnappers and for the safe return of those still being held hostage by these evil doers.
“Prayers shall also be offered to God to give our leaders and security personnel the wherewithal and wisdom to win the fight against banditry.”
