The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has cautioned against turning insecurity into a political issue under the guise of protests over kidnappings.
Wike issued the warning in Abuja on Tuesday while speaking to members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), FCT Wing.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the teachers gathered at the FCTA Secretariat to protest the killing of a teacher, Mr Michael Oyedokun, by kidnappers in Oyo State.
Oyedokun was abducted alongside other teachers and students from Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle, in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking to the demonstrators, the FCT minister stated that the Federal Government was actively working to secure the release of the schoolchildren and their teachers.
“We are all concerned about this security situation. Whether we like it or not, the government is on its toes to ensure that those who were kidnapped are rescued.
”I have the confidence that security agencies will do all they can to make sure the teachers and the students are rescued alive and safe,” he said.
Wike, while urging the protesting teachers not to politicise the matter, maintained that incidents involving the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers had occurred in other parts of the country without attracting similar demonstrations, questioning why the Oyo case should be treated differently.
”Let me say this clearly, I don’t like politicising anything that happens. We have said here that teachers are being kidnapped in other states before; why was there no protest in Abuja?
”Does it mean that the teachers in Abuja are not important? We are all concerned, but let us not politicise issues; that’s what I will not support.
”We are all concerned about the security situation, about how the teachers and students will be released,” he added.
Earlier, the Chairman of the union in the FCT, Mr Abdullahi Shafa, said the nationwide solidarity protest was organised to denounce the killing of the teacher, condemn the abduction of the schoolchildren, and call for their immediate release.
Shafa described the incident as troubling and unacceptable, stressing that teachers should not face such attacks while performing their professional responsibilities.
