“Nigeria’s Security System Is on Holiday While Terrorists Work Overtime”— Amaechi
............Says “A Government That Leaves Schools Unprotected Has Already Failed”
By Passman Akpos
Former Minister of Transportation Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has condemned the abduction of pupils and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, describing the attack as part of a dangerous and escalating pattern of violence against schools across the country.
The incident occurred just hours after the world commemorated World Children’s Day on November 20 — a day meant to reaffirm the rights of children to safety, education, and protection. Terrorists reportedly stormed the school premises, abducting pupils and teachers and shooting a security officer.
Amaechi expressed prayers for the recovery of the injured officer, the safe return of all abductees, and emotional healing for affected families whose sense of security, he said, “has been shattered.”
A Pattern of Violence Amid Leadership Absences
The former minister linked the Papiri abductions to “a systemic pattern of violence” that has recently targeted schools, places of worship, farms, and highways. He noted that the attack came in the same week as the kidnapping of young girls in Maga, Kebbi State, warning that Nigerian children are being pushed into fear while the nation’s future is being undermined.
Amaechi criticized the absence of top security officials — including the Minister of Defence, National Security Adviser, Inspector General of Police, and Chief of Defence Staff — who were reportedly out of the country during the attacks.
“International cooperation is important,” he said, “but when children are being abducted from schools, it is not enough to issue statements after the fact. Nigerians want to see visible, coordinated, decisive, and proactive action.”
Nigeria’s Education Crisis Deepens
Citing UNICEF’s data that 18 million Nigerian children are already out of school — the highest figure in the world — Amaechi warned that each attack on an educational institution pushes the country deeper into insecurity and long-term national decline.
“When children are taken from classrooms, schooling becomes a risk, not a right,” he said. “These incidents damage not only today’s education, but tomorrow’s workforce, tomorrow’s economy, and tomorrow’s peace.”
Dormant Safe Schools Programme Under Scrutiny
Amaechi faulted the federal government’s handling of the Safe Schools Declaration, which Nigeria endorsed in 2018. He noted that while the initiative received an initial ₦16 billion allocation in 2022, the programme has become “largely unfunded and dormant” under the current administration.
“We cannot claim to be serious about protecting schools while abandoning a critical national structure designed to do exactly that,” he stated.
Call for National Council of State Intervention
He urged the government to convene the National Council of State, calling it a constitutional tool designed precisely for national emergencies requiring unified direction and experienced counsel.
“If we will not use such an instrument now, when will we?” he asked.
“The Right to Lead Comes With the Duty to Protect”
In a pointed remark referencing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2022 campaign declaration that it was his “turn” to lead, Amaechi said:
“If it is anyone’s turn, then it is also the turn of Nigerian children to be protected… Mandates are not upheld by chants or slogans; they are upheld by the safety and trust of citizens — starting with the youngest and most vulnerable.”
Beyond Firepower: The Root Causes
Amaechi reiterated his long-standing position that military action alone cannot end terrorism.
“If people cannot make legitimate income, they will create illegitimate ones,” he said, emphasizing that security must also involve opportunity, dignity, and trust between citizens and the state.
He concluded that Nigeria retains the capacity, intelligence, and institutions to protect itself, but what is lacking is leadership willing to act with “urgency, discipline, and courage.”
