By Desire Emmanuel
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Monday, November 24, said the abduction of 303 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State is a national tragedy that demands immediate action from the government.
The NBA disclosed this in a statement issued by its President, Afam Osigwe and Secretary, Mobolaji Ojibara, saying the fact that hundreds of children and teachers could be seized in broad daylight and moved without immediate interception is an indictment on national security framework.
The statement reads: “The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is once again compelled to speak, this time in grief and profound outrage, over the shocking abduction of 315 persons, 303 students and 12 teachers, from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State.
“The sheer scale of this assault and the brazenness with which it was carried out mark yet another grim reminder of our nation’s continuing inability to protect its most vulnerable citizens.
“This horrifying incident comes barely days after the attack on a secondary school in Kebbi State, which the NBA condemned unequivocally. In our statement of November 18, 2025, titled “Enough of This Carnage: The Time to End Mass Abductions and Targeted Killings Is Now,” we warned about a disturbing pattern of coordinated violence unfolding across the country. The Niger attack tragically confirms those fears.
“That hundreds of children and teachers could be seized in broad daylight and moved without immediate interception is an indictment of our national security framework. Once again, families are shattered, communities are traumatised, and our collective confidence in the ability of the State to protect life is gravely shaken.
“The NBA strongly condemns this abduction. We align fully with the United Nations’ call for the implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration, a commitment Nigeria voluntarily undertook to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and educational institutions. This commitment must now translate into decisive, visible action, not symbolic reaffirmations.
“In light of this escalating national emergency, the NBA reiterates and strengthens its demands as follows:
1.Immediate and coordinated rescue operations to secure the safe return of all abducted students and teachers, with transparent, timely public briefings.
2.Mandatory perimeter security, surveillance, and armed protection for schools in vulnerable and high-risk areas nationwide.
3.Full and accelerated implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative, including infrastructural fortification, early-warning mechanisms, trauma-response systems, and real-time intelligence coordination.
4.Urgent investigation and prosecution of all perpetrators, collaborators, financiers, arms suppliers, and intelligence enablers supporting these terrorist networks.
5.A nationwide audit of school security protocols, culminating in enforceable safety benchmarks applicable across the 36 States and the FCT.
6.Strengthening of integrated early-warning and rapid-response systems, including school-specific emergency units jointly managed by federal and state security agencies.
“Nigeria has reached a critical point. This is no longer a matter for routine condolences or episodic outrage. Our country is fast becoming one of the most dangerous places for children to learn and for citizens to pursue ordinary daily life. If we allow these atrocities to become normalised, we endanger not just our present, but our very future.
“Silence or delayed action at a moment like this is not neutrality; it is complicity. The Nigerian State must act now.”
