Kidnappings: Set Up Safe School Response Center, FG Urges State Governors

The Federal Government has called on state governors to establish Safe School Response Coordination Centres to forestall attacks and kidnappings in schools.

The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, made this submission while inspecting facilities at the National Safe School Response Coordination Centre located at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) headquarters in Abuja.

The federal government had in February, 2023, flagged off the Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre as part of measures to rein in the spate of attacks on school facilities.

The center aimed to enhance security for schools and host communities by coordinating with security agencies and stakeholders, receiving and referring complaints, and maintaining emergency hotlines.

Eight months after the launch of the center, NSCDC, the lead agency of the project, disclosed it has prevented 48 attacks in schools across the country.

Sununu while inspecting the facilities, therefore, urged state governors to take proactive steps to safeguard schools in their domain by establishing the centers that will be directly connected to the National centre.

The minister noted that education was critical to the development of the country, adding that an attack on the system would have a ripple effect on the nation.

He said the inspection became imperative owing to the recent kidnapping of students and teachers in Sokoto and Kaduna States.

“Education is the key ingredient for individuals, communities, and international organizations for rapid development.

“Nigeria is leading globally in areas of out-of-school children in spite of all investments in education; therefore, this attack is unacceptable.

“The abduction of school children by bandits is an attack on education which should not be condoned.

“We implore all the state governments in Nigeria to see how they can quickly, in the next few weeks, establish their own centre that will be directly connected to this centre,” he said.

Responding, the Commandant of the National Safe School Response Coordination Centre, Hammed Aboderin, appreciated the minister for the visit while stating that funding was a major challenge to achieving their mandate.

He, however, appealed to members of the host communities to always avail the security agencies with the necessary information to enable them to carry out their duties.