Public schools nationwide are set to shut down on Tuesday, June 2, as teachers stage simultaneous protests in all 36 state capitals.
Organised by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the rallies demand the immediate, unconditional release of students and teachers recently abducted in Oyo and Borno states.
The mass action follows a May 29 directive signed by NUT President Audu Amba and Secretary Clinton Ikpitibo, which ordered all state chapters to protest the escalating security threats facing the education sector.
Preparations hit full swing on Monday, with protest materials arriving at union offices across the country. In Lagos, demonstrators will gather at the Ikeja Bus Stop before marching to the Alausa Secretariat, while Oyo State teachers will convene at the NLC secretariat in Ibadan.
Protesters will carry placards with messages such as “Stop the Kidnapping of Teachers and Students Now” and “Schools Must Be Safe Havens, Not Crime Scenes.”
Arrangements were also concluded for public address systems and vehicles to support the rallies, while security agencies are expected to protect to prevent any disruption.
Lagos State Chairman of NUT Akintoye Hassan said the union deliberately chose not to shut down schools nationwide despite the security concerns.
According to him, schools would remain open in most states, except Oyo, where authorities had ordered a temporary closure following the recent abductions.
“There will be a solidarity rally tomorrow (today) across the federation, but schools will remain open in most states,” Hassan said.
He argued that a nationwide school shutdown would amount to conceding victory to those behind attacks on educational institutions.
“We decided not to shut down our schools entirely because that has been the objective of Boko Haram from the beginning – to discourage education and deny children access to learning,” he stated.
Hassan warned that prolonged closure of public schools would disproportionately affect children from poor backgrounds, noting that many private schools had continued academic activities despite the security challenges.
“If public schools are shut down while private schools remained open, the children of ordinary Nigerians will suffer the most. The gap we have been trying to close through advocacy for quality public education will only widen,” he said.
The union leader called on governments at all levels to prioritise the safety of schools and citizens above political considerations.
“We must call on government to rise to the occasion and place the security of citizens above every other interest,” he said.
Hassan also stressed that teachers, as role models, must demonstrate resilience in difficult times.
Persecondnews recalls that schools were shut on Monday as teachers complied with a directive by the NUT to begin a nationwide protest over the continued captivity of pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Ahoro-Esienle and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
The protest coincided with demonstrations in Oyo and Ogun states, where residents, civil society groups and labour activists demanded the immediate release of the abductees and urged governments at all levels to intensify efforts to tackle insecurity.
On May 15, 2026, armed men attacked three schools-Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire LGA, taking pupils and teachers captive.
The abduction had since generated outcries across the country.
Academic activities were suspended in public schools across the 33 local government areas of Oyo State following the NUT directive.
A protester, Ajibola Aboderin said: “We are here to express our grievances, but in a peaceful manner. We feel the pain of the abducted teachers, students and their families, almost 18 days after the incident.
“Even those of us in our homes are feeling the discomfort, not to talk of pupils in the forest enduring such harsh conditions — the rain, the sun and the dew. It is truly pathetic.
“We are protesting to draw the attention of the Federal and State Governments, as well as security agencies, to urgently secure their release.
“We are not happy at all. How can anyone be so heartless as to kidnap a two-year-old boy or girl? This country is deteriorating into something unrecognisable.”
In neighbouring Ogun State, residents of Abeokuta also took to the streets to protest the abduction and worsening insecurity across the country.
The protesters carried placards bearing messages including ‘Bring Back Our School Children,’ ‘Stop Kidnapping, Banditry,’ and ‘End Terrorism in Nigeria.’
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Juwon Owolabi, said residents now live in fear due to rising insecurity.
He urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to secure the release of the abducted pupils and teachers.
“This is a time when the parents and everyone are grieving. We cannot continue like this. We sleep with anxiety and panic, and we trust that the government has the capacity and what it takes to end this insecurity now.”
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