Eight students are still missing after Nigeria’s military rescued 121 school girls two days after they were kidnapped at gunpoint in the country’s north-eastern Borno State. In response, The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has firmly condemned the 14 April abductions carried-out by suspected members of the terrorist group Boko Haram at the Chibok government secondary school.
“The abduction of these innocent female students is inhuman, callous, uncivilised, and anti-educational, capable of dragging the country backwards educationally,” said NUT General Secretary Obong I.J. Obong on 16 April. “We call on the perpetrators and all Nigerians to ensure that these innocent students are urgently set free... in the interest of the future of the nation.”
The NUT has also called on the Federal Government and security agencies to take appropriate measures to contain the excesses of the insurgent group.
EI: Schools must be safe sanctuaries
“We strongly denounce this shocking terrorist act,” said Education International General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen. “Schools must be a safe sanctuary, kept away from armed conflict and violence. We call on public authorities to strengthen security and ensure the protection of children and the entire school system in Yobe State, in particular, and Nigeria in general.”
He added that EI stands for the very thing that Boko Haram relentlessly aims to destroy; quality education for all children, which is a powerful tool against pure intolerance and poverty.