Comrade Titus Amba, National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), has warned that teachers across the country may withdraw their services if the rising insecurity in schools is not urgently addressed.

Amba’s warning follows escalating cases of banditry and kidnappings targeting educational institutions, particularly in northern Nigeria. Recent incidents include the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State, the mass kidnapping of students in Niger, and attacks on pupils in Kwara, heightening concerns for the safety of both teachers and learners.

The spate of attacks has forced the closure of several boarding schools in vulnerable areas, as authorities struggle to guarantee security.

Speaking shortly after the 8th quadrennial delegates’ conference of the Jigawa State chapter of NUT, held at the Manpower Development Institute in Dutse, Amba described the situation as a direct assault on education and the lives of teachers and students.

He stated, “We have seen cases where students are abducted in large numbers and teachers are targeted, yet the system continues as if nothing serious has happened.”

Highlighting specific tragedies, Amba noted that a vice principal was killed in Kebbi State, while hundreds of students were kidnapped in Niger and Kwara States. Teachers, he explained, have increasingly become victims while discharging their duties.

Amba emphasized that teachers cannot continue working under constant threat and called on governments at all levels to treat school security as a national emergency.

He stressed that the union’s warning is not issued lightly but underscores the fundamental right of teachers to work in a safe environment, asserting, “Teaching is a noble profession, not a death sentence.”

The NUT president urged authorities to fortify security around schools—especially in rural and high-risk areas—through the deployment of security personnel and technological monitoring of potential threats.

Amba concluded that concrete actions, not mere promises, are needed to protect teachers and students so that education can continue without fear.