The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) has called for intensified rescue efforts to ensure the safe return of the students abducted from a senior secondary school in Kebbi State, where gunmen killed a vice principal and kidnapped about 25 learners.
The union stated that the ongoing operation must be pursued with greater urgency and coordination to ensure a swift and successful outcome.
In a statement by its National President, Comrade Sola Adigun, ASUSS commended the prompt launch of the rescue mission but insisted that security agencies must go beyond routine responses to demonstrate a genuine commitment to protecting Nigeria’s schoolchildren.
He said the attack underscores the increasing vulnerability of learning environments and the need to strengthen existing security structures.
Adigun also questioned the effectiveness of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Special School Protection Squad, a unit created specifically to safeguard schools nationwide.
He wondered how such a tragedy could occur despite the existence of the squad, which has been widely publicised as a major government intervention against school-related attacks. “If a vice principal can be killed and students abducted in broad daylight, then we must ask: what exactly are the NSCDC school guards doing?” he queried.
He added that persistent attacks on schools continue to discourage enrolment, traumatise students, demoralise teachers, and undermine the nation’s long-term educational goals.
According to him, teachers and learners have become soft targets, a trend that must be urgently reversed to restore confidence in the education sector.
Adigun urged the Federal and Kebbi State governments to review the current school security framework, ensure better deployment of trained personnel, and provide adequate facilities for early-warning and rapid response systems in high-risk communities.
He stressed that the government must demonstrate seriousness by ensuring that no child’s education becomes a pathway to danger.
The ASUSS president sympathised with the family of the slain vice principal and expressed solidarity with the affected school community.
He reiterated the union’s call for sustained pressure on the abductors until every student is safely rescued. “The entire country is watching,” he said. “We urge security agencies to intensify the operation, close all escape routes, and bring these children back home without delay.”
