The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has declared support for the nationwide strike action by the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, and called for the immediate release of pupils, students and teachers abducted by kidnappers across the country.
In a statement signed by its president, Joe Ajaero, on Wednesday, the NLC described the strike as a necessary response to the deteriorating security situation for teachers and students.
According to the labour organisation, the action indicates teachers’ commitment to protect themselves in the face of increased attacks on educational institutions and staff.
“The national and well-coordinated action represents the resolve of teachers to take their destiny in their hands instead of waiting to be slaughtered to the last person,” the NLC said.
The Congress noted that the industrial action should also serve as a strong reminder to governments at all levels to address the growing insecurity confronting Nigerians.
“The action equally represents a gentle but unignorable nudge on the governments to take more seriously the growing insecurity industry,” the statement added.
The NLC applauded the leadership of the NUT, led by Titus Audu Amba, for taking what it described as a thoughtful step to draw attention to the safety of teachers and students nationwide.
The labour organisation also raised concern about the vulnerability of workers, such as local government employees, doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, who are increasingly becoming targets of kidnappers and bandits.
In response to news of abducted pupils in Oyo State, the NLC expressed profound concern over photographs of the victims’ situation.
“We are heartbroken by the ugly pictures of our children, held and tortured by depraved bandits in the forests of Oyo State,” the Congress stated.
The union warned that insecurity had become a nationwide crisis requiring urgent intervention.
“As a nation, we cannot continue to fold our hands while this horror movie continues to play, from Zamfara to Oyo, from Maiduguri to Port Harcourt,” it said.
The NLC also warned that it may organise solidarity actions with teachers and other workers if authorities fail to demonstrate greater commitment to tackling insecurity.
“We will not hesitate to do a solidarity action with the teachers or any other group of workers if the government does not take more seriously the issues of our collective security,” the statement noted.
The Congress noted that it had regularly raised awareness of the security crisis through rallies, lobbying campaigns, and security conferences, including a national protest in 2024.
It also mentioned the recent abduction of students and teachers in Oyo State’s Oriire Local Government Area, stressing that it had repeatedly warned about the dangers presented by increased insecurity and the growing power of criminal gangs.
The NLC expressed concern that further mass abductions in Plateau, Kogi, and other states indicated that the country was still trying to contain the menace.
“Since then, other major/group abductions have taken place in Plateau, Kogi and other places, underscoring the fact that for now we are not winning this war. It is heartbreaking,” the Congress said.
While noting the obstacles that security services face, the labour group encouraged governments to go beyond customary promises and take genuine steps to protect people and property.
“We recognise the tricky operational situation in Oyo. We nonetheless use this opportunity to once again call on the government at all levels to rise beyond the ritual of ‘we are on top of the situation’ and condolence messages to concrete and measurable action,” the NLC stated.
The NLC concluded its statement with a demand for the immediate rescue and release of all abducted victims.
“Free the abductees now, wherever they are held!”
The kidnapping of pupils and teachers in Oyo State’s Oriire Local Government Area has sparked nationwide outrage, with residents and advocacy groups urging for increased rescue operations and improved security measures to prevent future incidents.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")