NANS protests in Ibadan, demands swift release of Oriire victims

Ibadan: The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Monday protested the May 15 abduction of 42 pupils and teachers from public schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Members of the association, joined by Civil Society Organisations, marched in their hundreds across Bodija, Mokola, Iwo Road, Gate/Bus Stop, and the state Secretariat in Agodi, Ibadan.

The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions calling for the immediate release of all the victims from captivity.

Speaking to newsmen, one of the student leaders, Mr Moses Olawole, decried the government’s negligence and delayed actions to seek the abductees’ release.

Olawole said that with decisive action from the government, the situation wouldn’t have lasted this long, going to about three weeks.

He said the protest would be sustained, with all NANS members marching daily until the pupils and teachers were released.

He said that students would march to Aso Rock, Abuja, for a national protest by June 8 if the government failed to free the abductees.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that security personnel were fully represented to maintain law and order as the protest continued.

Meanwhile, Mr Sunday Odukoya, the Executive Assistant on Security Matters to Gov. Seyi Makinde, who monitored the protest, declined to comment on the development.

NAN reports that the protest was still ongoing at the time of filing this story.