NUT President Talks Tough, Says Teachers Are Not Animals to Slaughter, Vows Nationwide Strike

President of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Titus Amba, has declared that the union will no longer tolerate a situation where teachers are exposed to terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal elements, vowing that educators would withdraw their services from unsafe environments rather than continue to be “slaughtered like animals.”

Amba made the declaration while speaking on SPOTLIGHT, a live current affairs programme on Super 92.7 FM, Lagos, in reaction to the abduction of more than 40 pupils, teachers and a toddler from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15.

The NUT President urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to secure the safe release of the kidnapped victims, warning that the safety of teachers and learners can no longer be treated as a secondary issue.

“We won’t fold our hands and allow our teachers to be kidnapped, killed and slaughtered like animals while they are expected to continue going to school,” Amba said.

“If the environment is not conducive and security is not guaranteed, especially after what has happened in Oyo State, then we have every right to direct our members to remain at home until safety is assured and our colleagues, as well as the learners in captivity, are reunited with their families.”

Lamenting the worsening insecurity across the country, Amba said no community, institution or citizen appears safe anymore, stressing that schools have increasingly become vulnerable targets for kidnappers and armed groups.

According to him, government has a constitutional obligation to protect lives and property, including schools and educational personnel.

“Our responsibility as a union is to continue to advocate for the welfare and safety of teachers, while the responsibility of government is to guarantee security. Schools are part of the property government must protect, and teachers are among the lives it must safeguard,” he stated.

The union leader also took a swipe at the Oyo State Government, expressing dissatisfaction with its response to the mass abduction.

Drawing comparisons with previous attacks on schools in northern states, Amba argued that authorities should have immediately ordered the temporary closure of schools across Oyo State as a precautionary measure.

“In states such as Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina, schools were shut immediately after similar incidents. Even the Federal Government closed unity colleges in vulnerable areas. The same urgency was expected in Oyo State,” he said.

He maintained that temporarily closing schools would have demonstrated concern for the kidnapped victims and reassured teachers and parents that government was taking the threat seriously.

Amba further warned that any attempt by the Oyo State Government to invoke a ‘no work, no pay’ policy against teachers protesting the insecurity situation could trigger industrial action across the country.

“If the government talks about no work, no pay, teachers are ready. We cannot be forced to work where our lives are at risk,” he said.

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“Let me make it clear: if such a policy is implemented in Oyo State, it will not be Oyo teachers alone that will down tools. Teachers across Nigeria will join the action.”

Meanwhile, teachers from Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states, backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), have staged peaceful protests demanding the immediate rescue of the kidnapped pupils and teachers as well as stronger security measures to protect schools nationwide.

The latest warning from the NUT leadership underscores growing frustration within the education sector over recurring attacks on schools and the increasing dangers faced by teachers and learners across the country.