22/10/2016
Ensuring The Safety Of Nigerian Schools
The recent spate of kidnapping in Nigerian schools by gunmen has made it imperative that more should be done by government, security agencies and school administrators to ensure safety in the Schools.
This ugly trend started with the abduction of 276 female students from Chibok, a town in Borno State, North-eastern Nigeria, on the night of 14th -15th April, 2014. Boko Haram laid claim to the dastardly act that, for over 2 years, brought grief and sorrow to the Parents of the children and indeed all Nigerians and the World in general.
Since then, some criminals have seen this as a means of making quick money. On the 29th of February, 2016, Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary in Lagos state was visited by some hoodlums and 3 girls were kidnapped. They were only released after a massive manhunt. The incident repeated itself at the Lagos Model College, Igbonla, Epe as 4 students, a Vice Principal and a teacher were kidnapped at about 8am on 6th October, 2016.
Each of the incidents showed that these marauders took advantage of the near lack of security in each of the schools. Those that entered the Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary broke through the perimeter fence, while in the case of the Lagos Model College, Igbonla, they strolled in through the gate during morning assembly.
Indeed, the Lagos Model College incidence further underscores the need for the introduction of Community Policing because some residents in the neighbourhood were reported to have recalled seeing strange characters and sinister movements around the school prior to the attack with actions that depicted that they were actually shadowing the School and its activities. We believe that each Community, through the Community Development Area (CDA) arrangement, can do a lot to observe and report unexplainable activities in their area,
There is an obvious need for technological surveillance systems like the Close- Circuit Television (CCTV) for proper monitoring of all areas in a school and ensuring that there are no thickets that could either serve to hide the criminals before they strike or reduce the effectiveness of whatever devices are installed to aid security.
But school owners and administrators must take it as a responsibility to protect the children in their care.
We encourage Head Teachers and Teachers to have a congenial relationship with members of the immediate community in which their Schools are located to forestall a situation where a school is so isolated that they do not hear about the goings on around them. We urge Proprietors of Schools, whether Government or private, to do more than just putting a gate-man at the entrance of their schools. The School administrators must also conduct background checks on teaching and non-teaching staff before employment.
Beyond school security, Government needs to have a holistic approach towards security issues. Each tier of Government should take a critical look at what are the issues that need to be addressed in each State to guarantee adequate security. A secure environment will certainly ensure that miscreants will not be emboldened to attack schools.
We implore Government to expedite actions on job creation so that youths would not feel alienated and turn against the society. The get-rich-quick attitude of many young people has made them easy prey to criminals who are very swift in teaching them their ways, thereby swelling the number of unwanted elements in society.
