A Nigerian educator and education advocate in the diaspora has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take urgent action to safeguard schools across the country amid growing attacks and kidnappings targeting students and teachers.
Fateemah Yoosuf-Ibraheem, founder of Educom Africa, described the escalating crisis as a deliberate assault on education and hope. In a letter addressed to the President, she highlighted the recent abduction of 315 people from St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State, including 303 students and 12 teachers, and referenced the kidnapping of 25 students from Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, earlier this month.
“These attacks are not random, Your Excellency. They are deliberate assaults on education, on hope,” Fateemah wrote. She also recalled the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls abduction, noting that fewer than 200 of the 276 kidnapped girls have been accounted for.
Fateemah called on the President to fully implement the National Policy on Safety, Security, and Violence-Free Schools (NPSSV-FS), increase funding for school security, deploy trained personnel, establish safe transport systems, and create rapid response units for emergencies. She also urged the development of transparent recovery plans for abducted students in collaboration with international organizations and civil society.
“Global examples show it can be done,” she stated, referencing initiatives such as the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, Save the Children’s appeals, and Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai’s advocacy for safe schools.
Fateemah emphasized that protecting schools is not just about safety but about securing the future of Nigeria: “If our children cannot learn safely, then Nigeria cannot rise safely. By protecting schools, you save dreams. You save futures. You secure peace.”
She concluded the letter with a call for accountability and immediate action, urging the government to prevent fear from becoming a barrier between children and their education.
The letter has drawn attention to the urgent need for government intervention as Nigerian schools remain under threat from persistent violence and kidnappings.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.