Press releases
The Nigeria Labour Congress is outraged and appalled by the abduction of over a 100 female students from a school at Chibok in Borno State in the early hours of Tuesday who were said to have been roused from sleep and forced into waiting trucks and driven to an unknown destination.
This is disgusting, repugnant, nauseating, chilling and totally unacceptable. This is a heinous crime ag0ainst our children, our women, the Nigerian nation and against humanity, and must not be allowed to stand.
The Nigerian security forces must restore their honour and dignity by speedily finding and rescuing these young and innocent girls before any more harm befalls them. It is mind-boggling that in spite of repeated assaults on schools in the North East, no appreciable effort has been made to secure the schools where these students have had to study under the most hostile conditions.
It is equally amazing that in spite of the supposedly innumerable security checkpoints in the region, truck-loads of young girls could disappear into thin air in a Sahel region!
Although we at the Nigeria Labour Congress would not want to be sucked into the raging arguments of duplicity and complicity surrounding the anti-terror campaign in the North East, we wish to express our concerns.
We fear that except there is a fundamental change of strategy that involves the people and reflects basic security initiatives, we will pay a heavy price in the North East.
It is absolutely important that neither the insurgents nor government contractors be allowed to take control of this war.
Meanwhile, we commend the fighting spirit, the resourcefulness and the staying power of the people of the North East who have put up with unspeakable losses and indescribable violations and deprivations.
We salute their courage and patriotism and their sense of self-worth.
Chris Uyot
Acting General Secretary
