Lagos Assembly Speaker, Chief Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, has assured teachers that the legislature remains committed to establishing a State Police Force, as the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) staged a protest over the recent kidnapping of teachers and students in Oyo State.
Addressing the demonstrators at the Assembly complex, Obasa noted that all stakeholders , including the lawmakers were saddened by situation and must collectively to seek solutions that will bring lasting peace and security to schools and communities.
Chief Obasa reiterated that the Assembly has long championed the creation of State Police, noting that President Bola Tinubu’s support for the initiative is a step toward curbing insecurity.
He cautioned social media users against spreading misinformation that could inflame public anxiety.
The Speaker called for collective responsibility, urging governments, security agencies, traditional institutions, parents, and civil society to work together to safeguard schools as sanctuaries of learning rather than targets of violence.
The protest, led by Lagos NUT Chairman Comrade Hassan Akintoye, condemned the rising wave of abductions targeting schools nationwide.
Comrade Akintoye who recalled the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls, and the Dapchi abduction, warned that the recent Oyo incident where a teacher was beheaded and students brutalised has deepened fears among educators.
He urged governments at all levels to act swiftly.
Written by Olusegun Haastrup