Nigerian Teachers Launch Nationwide Strikes and Protests Over Persistent School Abductions
Nigeria’s teachers escalated their campaign on Tuesday with coordinated rallies in Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory and Ogun State, demanding the immediate release of 39 pupils and seven teachers still held hostage nearly three weeks after gunmen attacked three schools in Oyo State.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers declared an indefinite strike in Oyo, shutting down public primary and secondary schools, while its national leadership urged educators across the country to protest at government houses under the banner #BringBackOurPupilsAndTeachers.
The May 15 assault in Ahoro-Esinele, Oriire Local Government Area, targeted Community High School and two primary schools, abducting children aged two to 16 along with teachers and the principal. One mathematics teacher was killed in captivity, Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed. Security forces say they have cornered the kidnappers in parts of Old Oyo National Park, but no hostages have been freed despite desperate videos from the captives circulating online.
In Lagos, NUT State Chairman Comrade Hassan Akintoye told protesters the bandits “did not segregate,” attacking schools, mosques and communities alike, and declared that teachers would now tackle the crisis “holistically.” In the FCT, Minister Nyesom Wike held a closed-door meeting with protesting teachers to discuss security strategies and the broader implications for school safety nationwide. The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly also met the NUT delegation, pledging legislative support for enhanced school security and urgent federal intervention.
The Oyo crisis has triggered sharp political recriminations. Former Ekiti Governor Ayodele Fayose, a prominent PDP figure, drew widespread condemnation after suggesting the Oyo State Government under Seyi Makinde may have allowed or orchestrated the abduction to damage President Bola Tinubu’s image. Critics across party lines called the remarks reckless and inflammatory during a time of national trauma.
School abductions have become a grim and persistent feature of Nigeria’s security challenges. The 2014 Chibok kidnapping of 276 girls by Boko Haram drew global attention. Major incidents followed, including the 2018 Dapchi abduction of more than 110 girls and a wave of attacks between 2020 and 2021 in Katsina, Zamfara and Niger states that saw hundreds of pupils taken in single operations. Monitoring groups such as Save the Children and the Institute for Security Studies documented at least 22 school attacks between early 2023 and late 2025 involving more than 816 pupils. While the frequency of very large-scale incidents has fluctuated, overall kidnapping-for-ransom cases have risen in 2026, with early-year figures exceeding 1,000 reported abductions nationwide. Nigeria already has roughly 20 million out-of-school children (among the highest globally) and repeated attacks have forced further school closures and deepened learning losses.
Federal and state authorities have responded with President Tinubu’s approval of 1,000 new forest guards for Oyo, deployment of specialised rescue units, and consideration of a military base in the area. Governor Makinde has held daily briefings and met affected families, vowing to do “everything humanly possible.” Teachers, however, say the measures have come too late.
