Oyo abduction: NANS rejects strike calls, urges unity against terrorists

June 5, 2026

By Joseph Erunke

The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has cautioned labour unions and civil society groups against embarking on strikes and mass protests over the recent abduction of teachers and pupils in Oyo State, warning that such actions could inadvertently serve the objectives of terrorists.

In a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, NANS expressed deep concern over calls by the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights, CDWR, urging the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, to declare a statewide strike and organise mass protests.

While acknowledging the constitutional rights of citizens and organisations to freedom of expression and association, the student body stressed that such rights must be exercised with caution and a sense of national responsibility, especially when the lives of abducted teachers and schoolchildren remain at risk.