Wike assures protesting teachers of rescue efforts, warns against politicising insecurity

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has strongly warned against politicising insecurity in the name of protest over kidnappings and bandits’ attack.

Wike gave the warning in Abuja on Tuesday, while addressing members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), FCT Wing.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the teachers stormed the FCTA Secretariat, protesting the killing of a teacher, Mr Michael Oyedokun, by kidnappers in Oyo.

Oyedokun was abducted along with other teachers and students from Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle, in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.

Addressing the protesters, the FCT minister said the Federal Government was on its toes to rescue the schoolchildren and their teachers.

“We are all concerned about this security situation. Whether we like it or not, the government is on its toes to ensure that those who were kidnapped are rescued.

“I have the confidence that security agencies will do all they can to make sure the teachers and the students are rescued alive and safe,” he said.

Wike, while advising the protesting teachers against politicising the situation, argued that school children and teachers were being kidnapped in different parts of the country, but nobody took to the streets to protest, asking why the Oyo incident was different.

“Let me say this clearly, I don’t like politicising anything that happens. We have said here that teachers are being kidnapped in other states before; why was there no protest in Abuja?

“Does it mean that the teachers in Abuja are not important?  We are all concerned, but let us not politicise issues; that’s what I will not support.

“We are all concerned about the security situation, about how the teachers and students will be released,” he added.

Earlier, the Chairman of the union in the FCT, Mr Abdullahi Shafa, explained that the nationwide solidarity protest was to condemn the killing of the teacher and abduction of the school children and demand their release.

Shafa said that the protest was in compliance with a directive from the union’s national headquarters.

He described the incident as disturbing and unacceptable, noting that teachers should not be subjected to such violence while carrying out their duties.