Members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Enugu State chapter, on Tuesday staged a protest at the Enugu State Government House, demanding the immediate release of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State.

The teachers also called for stronger security measures around schools nationwide, citing rising insecurity affecting educational institutions across several states.

The protesters, who arrived with placards bearing various messages, said schools were becoming increasingly unsafe for both teachers and pupils.

Speaking on behalf of the demonstrators, the Enugu NUT Chairman, Comrade Theophilus Odo, said the protest followed a directive from the national leadership of the union in Abuja.

He lamented that teachers and students were increasingly becoming targets of attacks in different parts of the country, including Borno, Nasarawa, and Niger States.

“Our teachers are discharging their work normally, and these children went to school, and they didn’t come back, and they have not come back up till now,” he said.

He added that the union was calling on government authorities at all levels to take decisive action to secure schools and ensure the safe return of abducted victims.

“We want them to keep our schools safe so that teachers will be comfortable going to school… school should not be a danger zone for teachers and children,” he said.

The protesters also urged the Federal Government to urgently intervene and secure the release of abducted teachers and pupils, stressing that insecurity in schools could affect anyone across the country.

Receiving the protesters, the Enugu State Government, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidi Onyia, commended the peaceful nature of the protest.

He assured the union that their concerns would be conveyed to the state governor for further action and engagement with relevant federal authorities.