Insecurity: Over 60,000 Nigerian schools vulnerable ― Report

A vulnerability survey of all schools in Nigeria conducted by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has indicated that over 60,000 out of the 81,000 schools are vulnerable and without any form of protection.

Commandant-General of NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Audi, who made this known on Tuesday in Abuja at his maiden Commandant-General’s Conference, said this made the task of securing the schools by the newly created Civil Defence Female Squad enormous.

“We have carried out vulnerability survey of all schools in the country to enable us to work out strategies to effectively secure our school environment as part of efforts towards achieving the Safe School Initiative of the Federal Government.

“I supervised the establishment of the Civil Defence Female Squad. It may interest you to note that the squad has been sufficiently trained to take up the challenge of securing our environment and to protect our children in various schools who have suddenly become targets of attacks by bandits and kidnappers,” he said.

The NSCDC boss noted that from the survey conducted, the Corps realised that Nigeria has a total of 81,000 schools across the country out of which he noted that over 60,000 of them are unprotected and vulnerable to attacks.

Audi said the high point of the conference was to reawaken the consciousness of officers and men of the Corps to the realities of the time in view of the prevailing security situation demanding “drastic and desperate measures and solutions.”

He noted that staff welfare and motivation has been uppermost in his plan to reposition the Corps, disclosing that he has commenced the process of correcting anomalies in the promotion exercise that the Corps had been known for in the past.

He also disclosed that plans were in the advanced stage to pay the backlog of promotion arrears, while the Corps has commended payment of death benefits to families of deceased as well as payment of entitlements to retired officers.

At the event, cheques were presented to 120 beneficiaries of death benefits and retirees, who after several years of retirement from service were unable to get anything until the coming on board of the new NSCDC CG.

He warned the staff against engagement inter-agency rivalry, saying collaboration remains critical to winning the war against insurgency and other criminal elements in the country.

The CG further disclosed that arrangement is in top gear for the deployment of technology solution for surveillance and monitoring of critical national assets and infrastructure, stressing that the Corps would emphasise on the application of modern technology towards ensuring effective security surveillance, monitoring, intelligence gathering, including accurate detection and timely information about unfolding events.

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