Poly Students Demand Overhaul Of National Security Strategy

The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has expressed shock and condemned the series of violent attacks across the country, including the kidnap of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State, killing of a Brigadier General and several soldiers in Borno State, and the attack on a church in Kwara State that left worshippers dead and many others abducted.

In a statement issued by its president, Comrade Eshiofune Paul Oghayan, NAPS described the incidents as “direct assaults on the stability of Nigeria, the safety of its citizens, and the collective soul of the nation,” warning that Nigeria was gradually drifting into a dangerous cycle of violence that threatens public confidence and national cohesion.

It maintained that the abduction of schoolgirls constituted barbaric attack on children and the sanctity of education, while the killing of a senior military officer represented “an unforgivable blow to our national pride and security architecture.”

NAPS said the death of even a single soldier should be treated as a national tragedy, stressing that the killing of a Brigadier General in active service is a blunt reminder of the severity of Nigeria’s unending security challenges.

On the Kwara church attack, NAPS lamented what it called a “cruel assault on communal peace,” emphasising that Nigerians must be free to worship without fear. While extending condolences to bereaved families and affected communities, NAPS prayed for “strength, healing, and justicefor all victims”.

NAPS called for urgent national action from the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, urging the government to rise up to the current security challenges and reject any form of capitulation to criminal elements.

“As an association that represents the interest of millions of Nigerian youth, we charge the present administration to swing into action and cause the immediate reinforcement of security around schools, worship centres, highways, and vulnerable communities.

“We also demand a decisive military operation to dismantle terrorist networks as well as a comprehensive intelligence reform to prevent future ambushes. Additionally, we demand swift rescue operations for all abducted victims and a long-term national security overhaul rooted in technology, accountability, and political will.

“Simply recruiting more soldiers can not end insecurity. Nigeria must redefine its coordinating strategy and deploy trained international mercenaries for frontline operations with the strategic support of the Nigerian military.

“It is our informed position that reclaiming forests currently used as criminal hideouts and converting them into military-paramilitary agricultural zones to boost food production, generate revenue, and create employment. Such reforms have the dual capacity to confront insurgency and also revive local economies”, the statement said.