Insecurity: What we are doing to tackle schools’ abduction – FG

The Federal Government has unveiled new measures to tackle school abductions, insecurity, and other emerging threats to basic education across the country.

It said issues of school safety, education in emergencies, climate change and gender-based violence have now been incorporated into key operational guidelines for School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) documents to strengthen community participation in protecting schools and ensuring uninterrupted learning.

The Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, disclosed this in Kano on Monday at a three-day training programme on the revised SBMC operational documents for stakeholders from the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Represented by the head of Community Engagement and Social Mobilisation at the commission, Patricia Uche, the ES said rising cases of banditry, kidnapping and attacks on schools informed the review.
“One of the major updates is education in crisis. We are talking about recent cases of banditry, kidnapping and other security challenges affecting schools and communities,” she said.

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Uche explained that the revised guidelines would help mobilise communities to play more active roles in protecting schools and supporting efforts to keep children in classrooms.
“We have also introduced safe school initiatives because many public primary schools are not fenced and remain vulnerable. We want communities to become more involved in identifying risks and advocating measures that will make schools safer for learners and teachers,” she added.

Police tighten security in Lagos
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command has intensified security measures across the state following the circulation of a threatening notice alleging a planned attack and abduction of schoolchildren by bandits.

The notice, reportedly pasted at a school, sparked concern among parents and residents, raising fears of possible kidnapping attempts targeting educational institutions.
However, the Command said preliminary assessments showed no verified intelligence indicating an imminent attack in any part of the state.

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Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, in a statement, said Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, had ordered an immediate security review and directed the deployment of additional personnel to schools, strategic locations and vulnerable communities as a precautionary measure.
“The Command wishes to reassure parents, guardians, school authorities and residents that there is currently no verified intelligence indicating any imminent threat of such an attack within Lagos State,” Adebisi said.

She added that officers have been deployed in collaboration with other security agencies to prevent any attempt by criminal elements to infiltrate the state or threaten public safety.
The Command warned that kidnappers, bandits and other criminal groups would not be allowed to operate in Lagos, stressing that anyone found engaging in activities capable of causing fear, panic or insecurity would face the full weight of the law.
The development comes amid growing concerns over incidents of school attacks and kidnappings reported in some parts of the country, prompting heightened vigilance among security agencies.