The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have threatened to direct workers nationwide to stay away from their workplaces if the Federal Government fails to stem the worsening wave of insecurity. President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, warned that workers were increasingly risking their lives simply by reporting for duty, stressing that organised labour could resort to a nationwide stay-at-home directive as a matter of survival.
The warning came as the Senate moved to fast-track the passage of a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police, indicating that the legislation could be passed this week and transmitted to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, in a statement issued by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, said growing consensus among key stakeholders had strengthened support for state-controlled policing structures as a response to the country's deepening security challenges. According to him, the National Assembly has decided to separate the state police proposal from other constitutional amendment bills to accelerate its consideration and passage.
Labour Leaders Express Alarm Over Rising Insecurity
Ajaero, who spoke on the sidelines of the 114th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, said insecurity had become the greatest threat to workers, economic productivity and national survival. According to him, workers across various sectors now face grave dangers in the course of their duties, citing attacks on farmers, teachers and healthcare personnel in different parts of the country. “In Nigeria, the crisis of insecurity has reached such frightening dimensions that workers now risk their very lives simply to report to duty,” the labour movement said.
The NLC and TUC lamented that communities were being overrun by armed groups, farmers displaced from their lands, teachers abducted or killed, and healthcare workers attacked while carrying out their responsibilities. They argued that economic reforms would yield limited results in an environment where citizens lived under constant security threats. The labour centres warned that if the situation persisted, organised labour might have no option but to advise workers to remain at home. “If this continues unchecked, we may have no choice but to advise our members to stay at home, not as a strike, but as a desperate act of survival,” the unions said, noting that teachers had already begun taking similar measures in some affected communities.
The labour bodies also claimed that nearly 2,000 Nigerians lost their lives in the first quarter of the year, while millions had been displaced by insurgency and other forms of violence. They added that several economic zones were becoming increasingly unproductive as insecurity deepened across the country. Ajaero linked the security crisis to worsening economic conditions, arguing that insecurity and hardship were reinforcing each other. While government officials have highlighted improvements in macroeconomic indicators, the labour leaders maintained that ordinary workers have yet to feel the impact of such gains.
Senate Moves to Fast-Track State Police Bill
On the Senate's plan to fast-track the state police bill, Bamidele said consultations involving the leadership of the National Assembly, constitutional review committees of both chambers, the Presidency, security agencies and other stakeholders had advanced significantly, positioning the proposal for legislative action. He added that President Bola Tinubu, state governors and many state legislatures had expressed support for the initiative, creating broad political backing for the reform. The Senate Leader said lawmakers considered the current security situation compelling enough to warrant greater responsibility for states in protecting lives and property within their territories.
He explained that after passage by the National Assembly, the bill would be transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly, where it must secure approval from at least two-thirds of the legislatures before being forwarded to the President for assent. Bamidele said the Senate would devote considerable attention to the proposal during the legislative week, expressing optimism that the process would progress quickly. Nigeria currently operates a centralised policing system under Section 214(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which establishes the Nigeria Police Force as the country's sole policing institution. The renewed push for state police comes amid increasing calls from governors, security experts and community leaders for a decentralised policing framework capable of responding more effectively to local security threats.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, recently disclosed that consultations on the constitutional and operational framework for state police were nearing completion and that President Tinubu would soon receive a comprehensive report on the proposal.
Bandits Abduct 39 Zamfara Residents During Peace Mission
Underscoring the security crisis, at least 39 residents of Magamin Diddi village in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State have been abducted by armed bandits during a reconciliation mission. The victims, mostly elders from the community, reportedly travelled to Fadama Forest to meet the parents of a notorious bandit leader, identified as Smally, in an effort to seek peace and improve relations between the community and the armed group. However, while the meeting was underway, the bandit kingpin allegedly arrived with members of his gang and whisked dozens of the participants away to an unknown destination.
The Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Bello Dosara, confirmed the incident, describing it as unfortunate. He explained that the reconciliation initiative was undertaken by the villagers without the approval or knowledge of the local government. According to him, both the local government and the Zamfara State Government have consistently opposed negotiations with bandits. Dosara noted that the community had been facing restrictions imposed by the bandits, including limited access to markets, but said security escorts had regularly been provided to enable residents to carry out their activities safely. The council chairman further disclosed that some of the abducted persons had been released by the bandits to relay information about the incident to the community, while efforts continued to secure the freedom of those still in captivity.
The Zamfara State Police Command has confirmed the abduction and launched a rescue operation. In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said a report received from the District Head of Magamin Diddi indicated that 47 residents had mobilised themselves for the reconciliation meeting on June 7, 2026. The police spokesperson said 39 members of the group were subsequently abducted by the bandits and taken to an unknown location. “Upon receipt of the report, the Zamfara State Police Command immediately initiated efforts to trace the whereabouts of the victims and secure their safe rescue. Operational assets have been deployed, and security operatives are working on available intelligence to locate the abducted persons,” Abubakar said. “The Command assures members of the public that every effort is being made to ensure the victims are rescued unharmed, and the perpetrators are brought to justice,” he said.
OPU Condemns Alleged Sharia Demand as Abducted Principal Contradicts Reports
In a related development, the Oodua Progressives Union (OPU) condemned the demand for the implementation of Sharia law in Oyo State and other South-West states by the kidnappers of schoolchildren in Oriire Local Government Area as a condition for their release. In a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Alhaji Lukman Adedire, and Publicity Secretary, Victor Akingbayi, the OPU, a socio-cultural organisation with a presence in 104 countries, described the demand as a booby trap aimed at undermining the state's constitutional order, with the potential to threaten the peace, unity, and cultural identity of Oyo State and its people. The kidnappers reportedly demanded a ransom of N1 billion and the implementation of Sharia law in Oyo State as conditions for the release of the abducted children.
In a twist, however, the abducted Principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, dismissed reports that the kidnappers holding her, pupils and teachers captive demanded the implementation of Sharia law as a condition for their release. Alamu made the clarification in a fresh video released yesterday, nearly four weeks after armed men abducted more than 40 pupils and teachers from the community on May 15, 2026. The latest footage has heightened anxiety among residents and other stakeholders amid ongoing efforts by the government and security agencies to secure the victims' release.
In the video, the principal expressed concern over what she described as misleading reports about the circumstances surrounding their captivity, warning that inaccurate narratives could complicate efforts to resolve the crisis. She specifically refuted claims in some sections of the media that the abductors had demanded the introduction of Sharia law, insisting that such reports did not reflect the reality of the situation. According to her, the kidnappers' primary demand remains the release of some of their members currently in detention.
Meanwhile, the OPU emphasised that both the abduction and the ideological demands being made by the kidnappers constitute gross violations of human rights and an affront to the rule of law in Oyo State and the South-West region. The group noted that the unusual demand suggests that the abduction may have been orchestrated with a religious motive, stressing that the abductors and their sponsors must not forget that Nigeria is a secular state. “Specifically, Yorubaland is a region where Christians, Muslims, traditional worshippers, and adherents of other faiths coexist peacefully without imposing their religious beliefs on one another. The Oyo Empire embraced Islam in the 15th century through contacts with Mali, while the Shitta-Bey family in Lagos accepted Islam from Turkey as far back as the 17th century. The Yoruba people will never bow to any Islamisation agenda linked to the 1804 Caliphate or its agents among us,” the statement said.
The group called on the Oyo State Government, the Oyo State House of Assembly, and all critical stakeholders in Yorubaland to resist the demand by all lawful means. “All stakeholders, including the Oyo State Government and security agencies, must intensify efforts to secure the safe release of the abducted children and their teachers without yielding to unlawful demands,” it stated. The OPU also expressed concern over the safety, health condition, and overall well-being of the abducted children, stressing the need for their urgent rescue. The group further urged the state government to collaborate closely with federal authorities and private security organisations, including the South-West Security Stakeholders' Group, to decisively combat banditry and terrorism in the region.
Dismissing reports that the kidnappers holding her, pupils and teachers captive demanded the implementation of Sharia law as a condition for their release, the abducted Principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, said: “Today makes it the 24th day that we have been in captivity and it seems some people are making our problem more complicated,” she said. “We were shown some print media reports where it was stated that the people who abducted us requested the release of some people and demanded billions of naira. I want to make some clarification. Please, don't play politics with our lives.”
Alamu appealed to government authorities, media organisations and members of the public to exercise caution in disseminating information about the abduction, stressing that inaccurate reports could jeopardise ongoing negotiations and rescue efforts. She urged those involved in managing the crisis to ensure that information released to the public accurately reflected developments surrounding the incident. The principal's latest appeal came as concern continued to mount over the prolonged captivity of the pupils and teachers, whose abduction has generated widespread condemnation and renewed calls for stronger security measures to protect schools and rural communities. As of the time of filing this report, security agencies had not issued any official response to the claims contained in the video. However, government officials maintained that efforts to secure the safe release of all the victims were ongoing, assuring residents that security operatives were working to bring the ordeal to an end.
