03, June 2026
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday assured protesting teachers and civil society organisations in Abuja that security agencies are intensifying efforts to secure the release of abducted teachers and students. He cautioned against politicizing the country’s security challenges.
Addressing demonstrators at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Secretariat, Wike said the Federal Government remains committed to ensuring the safe return of all victims and restoring public confidence in the nation’s security architecture.
“We are all concerned about this security situation. The government is on its toes to ensure that those who are kidnapped are rescued,” he said.
The minister expressed confidence in the capacity of security agencies to secure the victims’ release and stressed the need for swift action. “I have that confidence that the security system will do all it can to make sure the teachers and students who have been kidnapped are rescued, and let it be prompt,” he added.
Wike, however, urged Nigerians not to turn security issues into political debates, describing insecurity as a national problem that demands collective responsibility and support.
“We are all concerned, but let us not politicise issues. That is what I will not support. We are all concerned about the security situation and how the teachers and students should be released,” he said.
He disclosed that security agencies are operating within established protocols and have made progress in efforts to free the victims. “There is no government that will deliberately say citizens should be kidnapped, but we know where we found ourselves, and we know that everything possible is being done,” Wike stated.
The minister called for national solidarity, stressing that insecurity should not be viewed through regional or political lenses. “What concerns you concerns everybody, and what concerns Abuja also concerns everybody. We are all looking at how people should rise up with the same dedication,” he said.
The protest was organised by teachers’ groups and civil society organisations demanding urgent government intervention over recent school abductions and improved security around educational institutions.
The demonstration comes amid growing concern over mass kidnappings across the country. On May 15, armed bandits attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting 39 pupils and seven teachers. A school worker was reportedly killed during the incident, which sparked outrage, protests, and an indefinite strike by teachers in the state.
A Federal Government delegation has met with community leaders and relatives of the victims as efforts continue to secure the release of those still in captivity.
In response to the surge in attacks, President Bola Tinubu approved the deployment of 1,000 forest guards while security agencies intensified rescue operations. Governor Seyi Makinde and a Federal Government delegation also visited the affected communities, assuring residents that efforts to free the abductees were ongoing.
A separate incident involving the abduction of 42 pupils in Borno State has further heightened fears of a resurgence in large-scale school kidnappings across Nigeria.
