Schoolgirls: Teachers protest abduction, go spiritual

The Nigeria Union of Teachers on Thursday embarked on prayer session to seek the immediate release of the abducted female pupils of the Government Girls’Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

The union also called on Nigerians to hold fervent prayers for the release of the girls.

This came as academic activities were paralysed in some primary and secondary schools Abuja, Lagos, Osun, Kwara and Ondo on Thursday.

Boko Haram members last April 14 invaded the Borno school at night and forcibly took away no fewer than 270 girls from the institution.

But responding to a directive by the NUT national leadership for schools to be shut nationwide on Thursday in protest against the abduction, the Chairman of the NUT in the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Hassan Jibir, said teachers were not happy about the continued seizure of the pupils.

Jibir, who spoke at a `Bring Back our Girls’’ rally in Abuja, said members of the union shared in the pains and trauma of the girls’ parents.

He noted that the protest was in solidarity with families of the abducted girls in Chibok and the slain teachers.

He said, “The abduction of the girls is very painful; the girls are the ones facing the shock of the insurgency. Unfortunately, Nigerians are not happy just like the international community.

“The protest is a way of demonstrating our position and feelings that we are demanding the release of these girls; to have them available in schools for the teachers to teach them the curriculum that has been provided.”

According to him, the protest is in line with the call by the international community to ensure that the girls return home safe and alive.

Jibir called on the military and the international security agencies to be careful in carrying out their rescue operations in order not to lose any of the girls.

He added, “The demand of the NUT is to ensure that the objective of the rescue mission is to bring them safe and alive.”

Calling on the Federal Government to ensure adequate compensation for the families of the teachers that were killed by the insurgents, he also urged the government to ensure security in the school system.

The protesters carried some placards with such inscriptions as “Don’t mortgage the future of our girls”, “Support government to crush Boko Haram insurgents’’, “Education is a right”, “Chibok girls should be brought back to school”, “Please release our students”, Boko Haram leaders are educated”, and “Please don’t deceive us.”

In Ondo State, the state NUT Chairman, Ojo Fanimokun, who addressed protesting teachers in Akure, called for the unconditional release of the girls.

He described the act as an assault on humanity and an attack on the teaching profession.

According to him, the activity of the Boko Haram insurgents is tantamount to drawing the country back to the dark days when there was no education at all in the land.

He also called on the Federal Government to ensure adequate security in the school system and guarantee peaceful learning environment in all learning in the country.

Primary and secondary school teachers in Osun State also participated in the protest.

The Chairman of NUT in the state, Mr. Saka Adesiyan, who led the teachers in the protest, stormed the Governor’s Office where the Head of Service, Mr. Olayinka Owooeye, received them.

In Lagos, protesting teachers also marched to the state secretariat at Alausa to kick against the abduction of the pupils.

Meanwhile, in many schools in Ilorin, the Kwara State, normal academic activities went on till 11am on Thursday.

Most of the schools visited by one of our correspondents only closed about 11am. Such schools included St. Anthony Secondary School, Ilorin; St. Barnabas Secondary school, Sabo-Oke; Baboko Secondary school and Cherubim and Seraphim College, Sabo-Oke; St. James Primary School; Ilorin Grammar school; Queens School; St. Barnabas Primary School and Salvation Primary School, Sawmill.

Some of the principals and head teachers that spoke to our correspondent said they had no official communication to the effect that they should close down the schools.

They added that it was not until about 11am that they got directive to close the school, which they eventually complied with.