The House of Representatives raised the alarm on Wednesday over the rising cases of insecurity at the nation’s schools, especially kidnappings and wanton destruction of lives and properties across the schools.
Consequently, the House resolved to interface with the security chiefs with a view to finding a lasting solution to the menace.
The House therefore mandated the Committees on Army, Air Force, Navy, Police Affairs, and Defence to interface with all security chiefs to identify the best ways to secure schools and offer lasting solutions to the security challenges in the country.
The House also mandated Schools to engage the services of Private Security outfits to complement the efforts of the security agencies in securing the schools.
The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance moved by Hon. Billy Osawaru during a plenary presided over by the Speaker, Hon Tajudeen Abbas
While moving the motion, Hon Osawaru lamented that students were no longer safe even in their schools, especially in places like Borno, Nasarawa, Niger, Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna States.
He explained that most recently, on March 7, 2024, about 287 schoolchildren were kidnapped from a government-owned school in Kaduna State
He said before then that on Friday, September 22, 2023, about 24 students of the Federal University of Gusau in Zamfara State were kidnapped by bandits.
The lawmaker also noted that in Nigeria, policemen were not guarding most of the schools despite the level of attacks frequently experienced by the schools, and the ones in existence were not sufficient in manpower and equipment, hence the level of losses incurred any time such attacks occurred.
According to him, “If no drastic measure is taken to curb the escalating insecurity situation in the country and in the schools, the entire school system may end up being shut down due to the activities of these miscreants and hoodlums.
“The government owes the people the responsibility of providing for their welfare and security, so it is incumbent on the government to fulfil its obligation to the people in this regard.
He further explained that due to the directive of Mr President and the relentless efforts of security agencies, the schoolchildren who were victims of the March 2024 attack have long been united with their families, but the trauma and shocking experiences they must have gone through would forever be in their minds and might likely give them a phobia of going to school again.
According to him, “Despite the efforts of Nigerian security agencies, the miscreants appear to be reinforced, have perpetuated serious chaos in most schools, and have made lives extremely difficult for the majority of the schoolchildren, students, and staff who now live under perpetual fear and threat to their lives. We are worried that, based on the Save the Children report, more than 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped in Nigeria since the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State and counting.
“The fear of attacks has stopped many children from ever attending school again. In addition to the abductions, over 180 schoolchildren were killed and nearly 90 injured in 70 attacks between April 2014 and December 2022, with an estimated 60 school staff kidnapped and 14 killed. 25 school buildings were reportedly destroyed during that period.
” The majority of these attacks took place in North-West Nigeria (49 attacks), followed by North-Central Nigeria (11 attacks), etc.CONCERNED that in Nigeria, the number of out-of-school children, as per the report from UNICEF, was put at 10.5 million before the effects of the conflict, humanitarian crisis and COVID-19 pandemic were felt.”
“One wonders at present what the figure will be due to the effect of these numerous attacks in different schools across the nation. I am disturbed that the embarrassing situation has continued to adversely affect the educational sector and the Nigerian economy in several ways, calling for an all-inclusive approach to arresting the situation.
When the motion was put to voice vote by the Speaker, Hon Tajudeen Abbas, It was unanimously supported by members
The House urged Nigerian clerics, Traditional Rulers, National Orientation Agency and Civil Society Organisations to contribute towards value re-orientation and social re-awakening, especially for the out-of-school children still living in fear.
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
