NANS Director of Strategic Engagement Backs National Leadership's Stand on Gateway ICT Polytechnic Students' Abduction

The Director of Strategic Engagement, Office of the Secretary General, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Oladeji Israel Victor, has thrown his weight behind the position of the national leadership of the association over the abduction of five students of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, Ogun State. 

Reacting to the official press statement issued by the office of the National President, Dist. Comr. Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, GCNS, Oladeji described the incident as a tragic assault on the Nigerian student community and called for immediate action to secure the release of the abducted students.

Oladeji noted that the unfortunate incident, which occurred after armed men attacked a private hostel along Paraga Road, Ipara, came barely days after the killing of Miss Ahmed Sekinat, an HND II student of D.S. Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic, Itori, during a robbery attack. He said the repeated security breaches within tertiary institutions in Ogun State highlight the urgent need for decisive and coordinated security measures to protect students across the country.

The NANS Director of Strategic Engagement fully endorsed the national leadership's call on the Federal Government, the Ogun State Government, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigerian Army, and other relevant security agencies to immediately deploy every available resource towards the safe and unconditional rescue of the abducted students. According to him, students deserve to pursue their education in an environment free from fear, intimidation, and violent criminal attacks.

He further supported the association's recommendation that governments at all levels invest in affordable on-campus accommodation, stressing that the increasing dependence on off-campus hostels has exposed many students to avoidable security threats. He maintained that improving campus security infrastructure and expanding hostel facilities would significantly reduce students' vulnerability to kidnappings and other criminal activities.

Reaffirming his confidence in the leadership of NANS, Comrade Oladeji Israel Victor assured Nigerian students that the association would continue to engage relevant stakeholders and closely monitor developments until the abducted students regain their freedom. He urged security agencies to act swiftly and decisively, emphasizing that the safety and welfare of Nigerian students must remain a national priority and that NANS will continue to stand firmly in defence of students' rights and security.