Experts call for urgent reforms to Safe School initiative after over 2,000 abductions
via Punch Nigeria4 min read
Experts are advocating for immediate reforms to Nigeria's Safe School initiative following a significant increase in school abductions. Since the initiative's establishment in 2014 and implementation in 2015, over 2,000 students and teachers have been kidnapped, according to a media tally. While isolated cases occurred between 2015 and 2017, mass kidnappings targeting schools in northern and central Nigeria escalated after the 2018 abduction of 110 schoolgirls from Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State. Notable incidents include the abduction of 303 students in Kankara in December 2020, 279 girls in Jangebe in February 2021, and 287 students in Kuriga in March 2024, among many others. A national plan for Safe Schools financing from 2023 to 2026 allocates N82,909,728,970 to security agencies for arms, equipment, training, and operations. The Federal Government is expected to contribute N119.83bn, with states providing N24.93bn. Former Assistant Inspector General of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, called for an overhaul of the security coordination framework, emphasizing intelligence-driven policing and strengthened state-level security structures. He also highlighted the need for integrated intelligence centers and collaboration between security agencies and communities. Retired Commissioner of Police, Lawrence Alobi, echoed calls for a review of the security architecture, stressing that all security services must actively protect educational institution
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