Mrs. Halima Iliya, the National Coordinator of the Financing Safe Schools Initiative, recently announced plans to involve hunters and vigilantes in intelligence gathering to prevent attacks on schools nationwide.
This initiative aims to enhance community engagement and sensitize students, parents, and teachers starting in the second quarter of the year.
The strategy includes training hunters, vigilantes, and volunteers in states with local vigilantes, while advocating for the use of youths in states without registered vigilantes.
The active involvement of youths in protecting their communities is seen as crucial for effective intelligence gathering, prevention, and detection of potential threats.
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Mrs. Iliya also mentioned plans to collaborate with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to leverage their presence in all local governments.
The NOA will assist in reaching out to grassroots communities by developing training manuals in local dialects for better communication and understanding.
The implementation of the safe schools national plan has progressed to the second phase, with security agencies training their personnel on safe schooling.
Additionally, all states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have been requested to provide information on schools at the highest risk in their respective senatorial zones and tertiary institutions.
The emphasis is on states taking ownership of the intervention, allowing for tailored approaches to address specific vulnerabilities.
Mrs. Iliya stressed the importance of these collaborative efforts to ensure a significant impact on the safety and security of schools across the country.
