School security will receive special attention in the wake of mass abduction – NSA

President Bola Tinubu’s administration would pay special attention to the safety and security of kids and schools throughout the nation, according to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

At a Nigeria Police Force-organized Strategic Forum On Achieving Safer Schools on Wednesday in Abuja, Ribadu made this claim.

The program’s theme was “The Need for National Collective Action: Importance of a Safer Teaching and Learning Environment for the Future of Nigeria’s National Development.”

It was designed to increase coordination between security services in order to address the nation’s many security issues, such as mass kidnappings at schools.

“Unquestionably, education has always been the cornerstone of progress in any society,” said Ribadu at the Forum. “As we strive to build a prosperous country for the future of our children and the generation yet to be born, it is critical that we prioritise the safety and security of our educational institutions at all levels.

The administration of President Bola Tinubu promised to collaborate with state and local government officials to revamp the country’s educational system, paying particular emphasis to school safety, student welfare, and teacher preparation.

Major Gen A.M. Dikko (ret. ), who represented Ribadu at the occasion, claimed that the invasion of schools by bandits and other armed individuals has had an influence on the country’s enrollment in schools, particularly in the northern region.

In order to stop the threat, he gave all of the nation’s security services a mission to acquire and share intelligence.

The program’s host, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, stated that the Tinubu administration is devoted to safeguarding pupils and providing them with a secure learning environment.

The Chief Of Army Staff Maj Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief Of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, represented by Commodore S.M Ahmed, and the Chief Of Air Staff Air Marshall Hassan Abubakar, represented by Brig Gen G.O Esho are also present at the event. They are all represented by Air Vice Marshal A.V. Ndache.

One of the biggest security issues that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari had to deal with was the mass kidnapping of schoolchildren by criminals.

In Jangebe, Zamfara State, in February 2021, armed robbers kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls. At the Government Science College in Kagara, Niger State, hundreds of students and employees were abducted by robbers that same month.

At Kankara’s Government Science Secondary School in Katsina State in 2020, more than 300 young men were kidnapped by bandits. Additionally to Jangebe, Kankara, and Kagara, non-state actors have previously kidnapped hundreds of secondary school girls from Chibok in Borno State and Dapchi in Yobe State.