In an effort to prevent attacks and kidnappings in schools, state governors have started providing facilities and offices to launch the establishment of Safe School Response Coordination centres.
Hammed Abodunrin, the Commander of the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre under the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, revealed to NewsNow that several state governments have initiated Safe School Committees to set up and maintain operational centres.
The Safe School Response is a Federal Government initiative aimed at addressing the rising incidents of school attacks by bandits.
Established by the Federal Government on February 23, 2023, the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre is tasked with coordinating safety and security measures against violence in schools and their surrounding communities.
On March 6, around 287 students were reportedly abducted by terrorists on motorcycles during an attack on their school in Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. This incident sparked condemnation from the Presidency, global communities, and organizations like UNICEF.
On March 15, the Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, urged state governors to establish Safe School Response Coordination Centres to combat student kidnappings.
Following the abduction, on March 24, the Kaduna State Government announced the successful rescue of 137 school children taken from Kuriga.
In a statement released by Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, it was disclosed that the military and local authorities in Zamfara State collaborated to rescue the 137 students in the early hours of Sunday.
Providing updates on the preventative measures taken by the government, Abodunrin mentioned, “States are required to establish state centres for effective coordination. Some states have offered accommodation facilities, while others have allocated funds for the Safe School project in their 2024 budgets.
“The Ministry of Education has communicated with all governors stressing the importance of establishing such centres as outlined in the National Plan’s medium-term arrangements.
“Many states have already formed Safe School committees to expedite program implementation.”
The Commander also highlighted that the Safe School Response Centre has trained 5,000 individuals to address the issue of school attacks in Nigeria.
The training beneficiaries include NSCDC personnel, private security company operatives, and members of various neighborhood watch groups.
“The response centre was established in February 2023. Staff training and Technical Committee formation took approximately four months.
“Since its inception, about 5,000 individuals have undergone various training programs, including Corps personnel and representatives from other agencies such as the Police, DSS, DIA, and Ministry of Education.”
Commandant General Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi of NSCDC has emphasized that every student and teacher in Nigeria should have access to capacity-building for enhanced security measures,” he declared.