The union lamented that the banditry in the region was gaining ground like the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, which it said had led to the killing of 600 teachers in Borno State.
Mike Ene, the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), says banditry in the North-East is morphing into another Boko Haram insurgency in the region and is creating a wide gap in education between the North and the South.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Secretary-General commented on the attack by bandits on the Government Girls Secondary School in Moriki area of Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State. The union also decried the security challenges facing the North-West and demanded action.
The union lamented that the banditry in the region was gaining ground like the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, which it said had led to the killing of 600 teachers in Borno State.
He said the activities of the bandits in the North-West, if unchecked, would affect education adversely.
He said: “It is regrettable that banditry is becoming so rampant in the North-West and the people cannot sleep with their two eyes closed. What do students have to give to kidnappers? It is beyond human imagination that gunmen struck and found their way into schools. This is an occurrence that this country should rise and fix squarely.
“The activities of the bandits in the region are creating a wide gap in education between the North and South. Banditry has claimed the lives of many teachers.
“In Borno State alone, we have lost over 600 teachers through Boko Haram activities. Beyond losing them, Boko Haram fighters and bandits are now heading for the North-West and this will affect education adversely.”