In a bid to fortify security measures within schools across the North Central region of Nigeria, the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ahmed Audi, unveiled the Safe School Response Team on Thursday.
This initiative follows a pressing need for enhanced security operations in schools within the region. to combat various forms of attacks on educational institutions. The newly formed squad comprises personnel from the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Police Force, and the Department of State Security Services, among others, with an objective to curb the rising incidents of attacks on schools, students, and teachers spanning the six states of the North Central region and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Speaking at a sensitization workshop in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Audi expressed confidence that the effective implementation of the initiative would alleviate the challenge of out-of-school children in the region. He called on stakeholders to support the Safe Schools implementation project to ensure the security agencies achieve their set objectives.
“The National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre is a product of the National Plan on Safe Schools in Nigeria. The menace of violence and attacks on schools in Nigeria is not a new phenomenon to us.” He stated
Highlighting the Center’s achievements, he mentioned, “So far, about 48 cases of planned attacks on schools have been thwarted through the collaborative efforts of the Centre.” Audi stressed the importance of the workshop as part of ongoing efforts to raise awareness and garner support for addressing the persistent challenge of school attacks and violence, which has adversely impacted children’s education.
Brigadier General MBG Martins, in a keynote address, predicted that the era of kidnapping and banditry in schools nationwide would soon be eradicated, commending the federal government for establishing the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre.
The Nasarawa State Commandant of the NSCDC, Abbas Bappa-Muhammed, also affirmed the commitment of all personnel in the command to safeguarding schools across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state.
As a gesture of support for the initiative, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule also donated a building structure to the Commander of the NSSRCC, Tersoo Shaapera, and his team. The donation is to enable the smooth commencement of the project in the state.
