Wike assures protesting teachers of rescue efforts, warns against politicizing insecurity

On Tuesday, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, addressed a group of protesting teachers and civil‑society organisations in Abuja. He reassured them that security agencies were intensifying efforts to secure the release of abducted teachers and students, while urging that security challenges not be politicised.

The demonstrators had gathered outside the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Secretariat, demanding the immediate rescue of victims of recent school kidnappings. Wike confirmed that the Federal Government remained committed to ensuring the safe return of those in captivity.

He said security agencies were actively working to rescue the victims and restore confidence in the country’s security architecture. “We are all concerned about this security situation. The government is on its toes to ensure that those who are kidnapped are rescued,” he said.

Wike expressed confidence in the nation’s security institutions, stressing the need for prompt action. “I have that confidence that the security system will do all they can to make sure the teachers and the students that are being kidnapped are rescued, and let it be prompt,” he added.

He warned against turning security concerns into political issues, arguing that insecurity affects all parts of the country and should be approached as a collective national challenge. Wike noted that teacher abductions had occurred in other states without attracting similar protests in the capital, urging citizens to adopt a more unified response to security threats. “We are all concerned, but let us not politicise issues. That is what I will not support. We are all concerned about the security situation and how the teachers and students should be released,” he said.

The minister further disclosed that security agencies were operating within established protocols and had made significant progress in efforts to secure the victims’ freedom. “There is no government that will deliberately say let citizens be kidnapped, but we know where we found ourselves and we know that everything possible is being done,” he stated.

Calling for national solidarity, Wike said insecurity should not be viewed through regional or political lenses, stressing that an attack on one community ultimately affects the entire country. “What concerns you concerns everybody, and what concerns Abuja also concerns everybody. We are all looking at how people should rise up with the same dedication,” he said.

The protest followed growing public concern over recent school abductions in parts of the country, with teachers’ groups and civil‑society organisations calling on authorities to strengthen security around schools and ensure the safe return of victims.