The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the abduction of students from a college in Kebbi State, calling on the Federal Government to urgently overhaul its security strategy as bandit attacks continue to spread across the country.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, described the incident as “shocking” and deeply troubling, especially given Kebbi’s reputation for relative stability and proactive governance.
“The abduction of students in Kebbi is a painful reminder that insecurity is far from over,” Ajaero said.
He noted that Kebbi State had, until now, been seen as a model of calm in the region, owing to regular payment of salaries and pensions, social interventions, and visible infrastructural development.
“Kebbi has enjoyed stability due to regular payment of salaries, pensions and visible infrastructural development, making the attack even more troubling.
That bandits struck with ease despite existing measures points to something more sinister, something we must all be concerned about,” he added.
Ajaero said the latest school abduction again exposes the failure of past assurances that such attacks would never be allowed to recur after the Chibok schoolgirls’ kidnapping.
“We had promised that after Chibok, it would not happen again, yet here we are back to where we started,” he lamented.
The NLC president expressed solidarity with the Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, and the affected families, urging Nigerians to rally around the state as it grapples with the emotional and security fallout of the attack.
“The governor needs all the support he can get at this point in time,” Ajaero said.
He also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of national security, arguing that current budgetary allocations and strategies have not produced meaningful improvements, despite repeated promises.
Ajaero warned that the “shrinking physical and psychological spaces” in Nigeria should alarm every citizen, noting that states currently under attack may not be the only ones at risk if decisive steps are not taken.
He urged the government to intensify efforts to secure the country’s vast landmass, confront the roots of banditry, and restore public confidence in the state’s ability to protect lives and property—especially those of schoolchildren.
