ASUU: Heavy Military Presence At Abuja Airport Over NANs Protest

There is heavy security presence around the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in the nation’s capital on Monday over plans by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to shut down the airport.

The body announced on Saturday that it intended to shut down international airports in Nigeria in protest of the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

In response, the Nigerian military dispatched some soldiers to secure the airport and prevent the protest from happening.

THE WHISTLER visited the Abuja airport on Monday morning, during which our correspondent observed no fewer than 5 different military vehicles with armed soldiers lined up from the bridge at the airport junction to the entrance of the airport.

The security personnel did not allow our reporter to take pictures of them or their vehicles but the ranking officer who declined to give his name confirmed that they were indeed there to prevent the protesters from disrupting airport activities.

“We are here in response to the reports that there is a planned protest meant to shut down the airport. As human beings, we also want the strike to end because our children are at home too but this is not the place to protest.

“The airport is the eyes of the nation, the protest should be taken to the House of Assembly where those in power can address the issue”, the officer said.

The ASUU strike began on February 14th, 2022, and is currently in its seventh month.

THE WHISTLER had reported that the protesters could have prevented the Nigerian presidential jets from landing as both the President and Vice President are currently outside the country.

NANS had insisted that irrespective of the intervention of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, who promised to meet with the ASUU leadership to intervene regarding the strike, the protest at the airport would hold today.