Escalating insecurity existential threat to Nigerian educational system – NANS

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) said deepening security collapse marked by relentless surge in banditry, coordinated abductions, and systemic terrorism has become more than a recurring national tragedy but constituted an existential threat capable of dismantling the future of millions of Nigerian students and eroding the nation’s intellectual capital.

The national leadership of the association stated this in a Friday statement signed by its National Public Relations Officer (PRO), Comrade Samson Ajasa Adeyemi.

The statement comes in the wake of Friday’s abduction of an unconfirmed number of staff and students of St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in the Papiri community of Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.

Days earlier, bandits abducted 25 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga town in Kebbi State.

Similar attacks in Kwara State led to the closure of over 50 schools.

NANS expressed profound sorrow and grave concern over the recent, targeted assaults on academic institutions which it stated were neither isolated occurrences nor random acts of violence.

It said the attacks represented “a deliberate and strategic offensive by criminal elements seeking to induce widespread educational displacement and institutional breakdown”.

NANS added, “The abduction of students in Kebbi State stands as a grim testament to the escalating brutality of these non-state actors.

“Equally alarming is the audacious invasion of a Catholic school in Niger State, a clear indication that academic environments long regarded as sanctuaries of learning have been transformed into epicenters of terror and profound insecurity.

“These incidents have forced countless students into a distressing dilemma: the need to choose between the pursuit of education and the preservation of personal safety. Such a reality is unacceptable in any civilized society, and its continuation threatens the stability, development, and global standing of Nigeria.

“Accordingly, NANS issues a resolute, non-negotiable call to action directed at the nation’s highest governance and security command structures.”

The association charged the Federal Government to end the era of piecemeal interventions and reactionary measures.

It stressed that the government must demonstrate unequivocal political will by dismantling the operational networks, funding channels, and logistical lifelines of terror groups.

It further demanded immediate, large-scale investments in modern surveillance systems, fortified community-based security frameworks, and the implementation of comprehensive rural protection policies.

It equally sought the unconditional rescue and reintegration of every abducted student as an urgent national priority.

NANS asked the Nigerian military high command and all security agencies to adopt a decisive shift from reactive operations to proactive, intelligence-driven, and strategically coordinated security interventions.

“Enhanced inter-agency collaboration is imperative to eliminate redundancies, improve rapid-response capabilities, and ensure continuous monitoring of at-risk educational zones.

“The protection of schools and academic communities should be elevated to a central pillar of national security strategy,” NANS stated.

The association said it remained steadfast, vigilant, and uncompromising.

It added, “While we mourn the tragic loss of innocent lives and pray earnestly for the swift and safe return of all abducted students and citizens, we reaffirm our commitment to sustained, constructive engagement with all relevant stakeholders.

“Our advocacy will remain formidable and unyielding until the security of every Nigerian student is guaranteed without ambiguity or exception.

“The future of Nigerian education cannot and must not be surrendered to the forces that seek its destruction.”