Student leaders across Northern Nigeria are sounding the alarm on rising insecurity. Bandits and kidnappers are making it dangerous for young people to attend tertiary institutions, they warn.
The Northern Youth Frontiers Student Wing issued the warning after an emergency congress in Abuja. Leaders from all 19 northern states and the FCT gathered to discuss the crisis.
Ibrahim Bello, National Coordinator of the NYF Student Wing, co-signed the statement. Secretary-General Hauwa Abdulaziz also put her name to it.
Many campuses remain wide open to attack, the group noted. Off-campus student communities are equally vulnerable, leaving young people to study in constant dread.
The students have a direct message for President Bola Tinubu. They want him to beef up security around universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education immediately.
More funding for the Safe Schools Initiative is needed, they argued. Round-the-clock security patrols should cover campuses, student homes, and major travel routes.
Parents are increasingly anxious about sending their children north to study. Academic work is suffering as insecurity disrupts normal campus life.
The group raised another concern about the loan scheme programme. If attacks around schools don't stop, the benefits of that initiative will fade away.
