The Secretary General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN)  Rev Father Michael Banjo has decried the increasing incidence of abduction of pupils and teachers in in schools across the country.

He lamented that that schools which ought to be sanctuaries of learning, formation and protection are increasingly being turned into places of fear, trauma and vulnerability.

Speaking at a capacity building workshop for Catholic schools and teachers organised by the Department of Church and Society, Education Unit of CSN yesterday in Abuja, Banjo stated that when children are taken from their classrooms, teachers  kidnapped in the line of duty and when families are forced to live with anxiety over the safety of those entrusted to our schools, the dignity of the human person is seriously assaulted.

He noted that the society is facing the impact of this  as parents are afraid to send their children to some of our schools adding that the right to education is violently disrupted and the mission of safeguarding minors and vulnerable persons deeply wounded.

He called on the government and all security agencies to act with urgency to secure the safe and speedy release of all those still in captivity and to restore confidence in the safety of our schools and communities.

“We pray for the safe return of the abducted pupils and teachers and pray for the peaceful repose of the soul of Mr. Michael Oyedokun and so many others who have died in similar circumstances across our nation “.

Banjo stated that the theme of this training, Catholic social teaching and safeguarding of minors and vulnerable persons’ is both timely and urgent, stressing that in recent times our society has witnessed a steady erosion of respect for human dignity, especially in the way minors and vulnerable persons are sometimes treated.
“Across our country we continue to witness troubling situations that call for serious reflection and decisive action. Bullying that leaves children traumatized, excessive corporal punishment that wounds rather than correct, sexual harassment and abuse by those who ought to protect and guide the young, the misuse of phones and social media to bully, to lure, to shame, to blackmail or expose children to harmful content, discrimination against children because of poverty, disability or social background and painful situations where warning signs are ignored until lives are deeply damaged”.

Banjo emphasized that Catholic social teaching and safeguarding must go together to affirm the dignity of every person to protect the vulnerable and to ensure that every Catholic school becomes a true sanctuary of faith, of learning and of love. The painful insecurity confronting educators and school children in our nation today also belongs to this same moral crisis”.

Warning that Catholic educators cannot afford to be silent, passive or in-equipped in the face of these realities, the cleric pointed  Catholic school is more than a center for academic instruction, as it is a place where faith is deepened, consciences are formed, values are nurtured and future leaders are prepared for both .
 He said, “We must reject silence, negligence and indifference in the face of abuse and we must promote safe, trusted and accountable school environments where children are heard, where children are guided, protected and valued. Safeguarding must move from principle to practice but it must also be rooted in the core values of Catholic social teaching, the dignity of the human person, the common good, justice, solidarity, truth and preferential care for the vulnerable. In the Nigerian context this means that every Catholic school must consciously form children, not only to pass examinations but to become persons of conscience and integrity. We must reject cheating, we must reject bullying, we must reject buying of examination questions and every form of examination malpractice and we must promote honesty, hard work and respect for truth”.

Also speaking, the Catholic Bishop of Lafia and the CBCN Chairman of Education. Most Rev David Ajang noted that the Catholic Church has consistently emphasized the dignity of every human person as created in the image and likeness of God adding that education is not only about intellectual development but about promoting justice, peace, solidarity, responsibility and care for the vulnerable.

Ajang noted that every child entrusted to our care must experience safety, respect, protection and genuine Christian love and expressed the commitment of the church to creating learning environments where children can flourish spiritually, emotionally, intellectually and physically without fear of abuse or neglect.

He observed that the workshop comes at a very critical time in the life of our nation, our schools and indeed the global church. Today, more than ever, Catholic education must remain faithful to its mission of forming the human person in knowledge, character, faith and moral responsibility. Our schools are not merely centers for academic excellence.

On his part, the  Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Most Rev Michael Francis Crotty stated that schools must protect children, not only from physical abuse but also from exploitation, exclusion, hunger, emotional neglect and unsafe learning conditions.

He urged Catholic educators in Nigeria to resist any culture that normalizes violence against children and any policy that promotes violence in the community, stressing that a  that catholic school should be a place where children feel secure emotionally, spiritually, physically and digitally.

Crotty lamented that many children in Nigeria face poverty, displacement, insecurity and unequal access to quality education and called on catholic schools to stand with vulnerable families and ensure inclusion.

 He said, “Teachers and administrators are expected to create environments where children can speak freely and report harm without fear. This is especially important in Nigeria where children may face domestic violence, exploitation, trafficking, cultism or online abuse, corporal punishment, humiliation, emotional intimidation or exploitative relationships contradict Catholic educational values”.

In his remarks, CSN Episcopal Secretary for Education, Rev Fr Dominic Umoh Called on the federal government to take concrete steps to create secured environment in schools across the country.

Umoh described the recent abduction of pupils, teachers and the killing of one of the teachers by abductors as a sad experience for the teachers.

He noted that that most of the Catholic schools are cited within the church environment to guarantee safety adding that the church is training teachers and pupils to be security conscious.