Nigeria teachers strike over school kidnappings and security demands

Since 1 June, a large share of Nigeria’s teachers have been on strike, expanding to northern states such as Katsina, Kaduna and Borno. The protests demand stronger security measures after a surge in armed kidnappings of pupils and teachers by criminal and jihadist groups. Union representatives have warned that schools cannot operate safely without government protection, calling for deployment of security personnel to schools and a compensation fund for kidnapping victims. The federal government, led by President Bola Tinubu, has acknowledged the crisis but has not yet announced concrete actions.

The strike threatens to further disrupt an already strained education system, where more than 10 million children are out of school, according to UNICEF data.