FOLLOWING the spate of mass kidnapping of students in the northern part of the country, governments of southwestern states have activated structures to tighten security around their schools.
There are fears that the influx of youths from the North into the South West in the last one year could worsen the current isolated cases of insecurity in parts of the region. Reports from each of the South West states showed that both formal and informal security outfits are being strengthened to ward off possible serious security breaches that manifested in the mass abductions in the North.
We’re working with security agencies, school owners –Lagos govt
The Lagos State government said it had taken measures to ensure that the kidnapping of students happening in the north of the country does not occur in the state.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, who disclosed this while speaking on telephone to Saturday Tribune, said the state government had been proactive in protecting its schools and had now gone a step further to see that, whether public or private, protection was provided for schools.
The commissioner, who recalled that a similar thing occurred in the state a couple of years ago, said some of the measures were not such that could be put on the pages of newspapers.
He, however, gave the assurance that the state was on top of ensuring that schools in the state do not fall prey to such incidents anymore.
Omotoso said: “Even before now, Lagos State has been doing a lot to protect the schools in the state. A couple of years ago, we had an incident, if you will remember. Since that time, the Lagos State government has been proactive in protecting its schools and it has now gone a step further to see that whether public or private, we have to provide protection for them.
“But some of the things that we are doing are not things we can put on the pages of newspapers. We are putting some structures in place, especially in those schools that we feel are vulnerable so that they can be protected.
“We are also working with security agencies for them to take more interest in the protection of our schools.
“And Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has directed that the Commissioner for Education should hold a meeting with school owners, private and public, urgently. And then there should be consultation with security agents. At the meeting, the Commissioner of Police will also be there and all those that can be described as interested parties.
“But the main thing is that security is the responsibility of all of us and so the meeting that I spoke of is not a one-off meeting, it is going to be a continuous meeting.
“The meeting is going on. The governor himself is consulting security agencies and there is going to be a synergy between the government and parents and the school proprietors on one side. So, everybody is working so that we don’t have that kind of incident in Lagos State.
“The commissioner is going to meet public schools, the parents, the school owners. The Commissioner of Police will be a joiner and other security agencies. They are putting heads together. “Before this, I told you that Lagos has been on top of the situation in building a power structure to ensure that our schools don’t fall prey to this kind of thing.”
Ondo increases surveillance on forests, waterways
The Ondo State government has taken some measures to guard against abduction of students in the state. Although the government is keeping the measures to its chest, it was gathered that part of the actions is the intensification of surveillance on the state’s forests and waterways.
A top government official maintained that the security of a state is not something to be discussed on the pages of newspapers.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Amotekun Corps and other security agencies in the state were working together to guard against any attacks on schools and students in the state.
The official said: “Security issues are not to be discussed publicly but I can assure you that all security operatives in the state are geared to secure lives and property in the state.
“Security remains a cardinal thrust of this administration and surveillance efforts are being intensified across the forests and waterways to improve the security architecture of the state and combat all forms of crime before they unfold.”
He gave the assurance that the present administration in the state would continue to engage all security agencies in the state, including Amotekun, vigilance groups and local hunters to check the activities of criminal elements in the state.
He said that Ondo would continue to be home to people with legitimate businesses and activities, who make contributions to the socioeconomic development of the state.
22-man committee raised in Ogun
In the same vein, the Ogun State government has constituted a 22- man committee towards safeguarding schools across the state. Speaking to Saturday Tribune, the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Abayomi Arigbabu, said the committee’s mandate is to proffer solutions to security problems in schools.
The commissioner stated that members of the committee were drawn from the ministries of justice, women affairs and social development, security agencies, among other critical sectors. He said the constitution of the committee was imperative now that the country is facing security problems.
Arigbabu gave the assurance that resolutions made by the committee would be implemented. “Security of lives and property is the sole responsibility of any government.
“We have come up with very important points as regards our children’s safety, for them to be able to learn in a conducive environment without fear of kidnap or any form of unrest.
“As a state, we don’t want such to happen before we take actions,” the commissioner said.
Oyo’s new security task force swings into action
Also wary of the recurring kidnap of schoolchildren in North, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State inaugurated the state’s security task force during the week.
It was learnt on Friday that a key assignment of the taskforce is the safety of schools and students.
While inaugurating the task force which he chairs, Makinde said the move was part of the proactive measures being taken by his administration to prevent the abduction of schoolchildren and their teachers, as well as fight other crimes.
He stated that the task force would regularly link with traditional rulers, stakeholders across all local government areas, political stakeholders and the various ethnic nationalities to have requisite information on happenings across localities.
Makinde sought the support of all and sundry across the state to enable the government to have right security information on a regular basis.
The governor said: “We have been hearing about the kidnapping of school children and their teachers and we do not want that to happen in Oyo State. So, we are seeking every support that we can get.”
Also, the governor’s Special Adviser on Security, Fatai Owoseni, a retired Commissioner of Police, said the task force would be focusing on the state’s porous entry and exit points. Owoseni added that the state would be looking at regulating the activities of commercial motorcycle riders.
He added: “We do intend to identify the various communities, contacts, and markets in our states in order that we can enumerate who is where and who we need to contact.”
Osun mobilises old students, security forces
In Osun State, the government is making every necessary arrangement to protect all schools there. The Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr Jamiu Olawumi, in an interview on Friday in Osogbo, revealed that the state government had just inaugurated boards of governors who are old students of their respective schools to be able to perform effectively towards securing the schools.
Olawumi pointed out that the boards of governors would work with all security agencies in the state to guarantee the safety of students.
He added that all stakeholders in the education sector would work hand in hand with security agencies to record success in the management of security in schools.
According to him, if the other stakeholders could achieve successful partnerships with the security agencies, it would mean that it is possible to secure schools in all the nooks and crannies of the state through community policing.
The governor’s aide stressed that plain-cloth security men would be assigned to schools as part of the security arrangements being made by the state government. Olawumi, who affirmed that adequate security measures had been taken to ensure the safety of students and security of schools in the state, expressed optimism that successes would be recorded at the end of the day.
According to the special adviser, there is no cause for alarm as watertight arrangements are being made to secure schoolchildren.
We are securing everywhere, not just schools –Ekiti govt
The Ekiti State government revealed that adequate security arrangements are being taken to secure every nook and cranny of the state, including schools.
The state Commissioner for Information, Mr Akin Omole, who was reacting to the recent abduction of schoolchildren in some parts of the country, said on Friday that the state government was not only focusing all attention on schools but it was also securing every part of the state.
In view of the recent killing of farmers in Ikole Local Government Area, the commissioner noted that the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, had directed security agents to secure the state, especially the border towns, by preventing bandits from coming into the state.
He added that there was security concentration in Ikole and Oye local government areas due to their large areas of forests and their status as gateways to other states.
Omole said: “You are specific about schools but I can talk generally, not about the schools alone. You know, when you secure the entire state, you have already secured all schools.
“After the unfortunate incident in Ikole where two farmers were killed, the government tried to come in by calling all security agencies, including Amotekun, NSCDC and others.
“They were given the marching order to make sure they secure the entire Ekiti and I can tell you now that those security agents are everywhere now in the state, including the bushes and the border areas, particularly Oye and Ikole local government areas in the northern part of the state because they have large expanse of lands, which gives room for herders to come into the state. There is a concentration on that area.
“You know, when they don’t come into the state, the question of going to school will not arise. We are securing the entire state and after doing that, rest assured that the schools will be saved as well.”
In a recent media chat, the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, said the government would embark on the perimeter fencing of all public schools in the state as part of ways to safeguard the students against any possible abduction. It will be recalled that on the evening of 11 December, 2020, over 300 students were kidnapped from a boys’ secondary boarding school in Kankara, Katsina State.
In Zamfara State the abduction of 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 from the Government Girls Science Secondary School, a boarding school in Jangebe occurred on 26 February, 2021.
The students were kidnapped in a raid by bandits and were released on 2 March, 2021. Nine days earlier, on 17 February 2021, at least 42 students were abducted from a school in Kagara, Niger State. A student was killed and 27 others were abducted by armed men at around 3.00 a.m. from their school. Three members of the school’s staff and 12 of their relatives were also abducted.
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