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As part of its mandate to safeguard critical national assets and infrastructure, including educational institutions, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kwara State Command, has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety of students, teachers, and host communities.
In furtherance of this responsibility, the Ilorin West Division of the NSCDC Kwara State Command organized a one-day Security Summit on Tuesday, with the theme”School Safety & Emergency Response Tips: Citizens’ Security,” aimed at strengthening security measures in schools and their host communities.
Right, Commandant Muhammed
At the event, the Divisional Officer, Ilorin West Division, CSC Muhammed Hamzat, stated that the summit was designed to review and strengthen grassroots security architecture, with a particular focus on safeguarding schools, students, teachers, and surrounding communities.
He further noted that the programme aimed to tackle rising security challenges in schools, particularly kidnapping, cultism, bullying, drug abuse, and other forms of violence within the school environment.
In a keynote address, the State Commandant, Dr. Umar Muhammed, emphasized the NSCDC’s leading role in the implementation of the Federal Government’s Safe School Initiative.
Dr Muhammed expressed concern over the rising security threats in school environments and called for a coordinated and collective approach to mitigate risks.
“The safety of our children, teachers, and school communities is a shared responsibility that requires collaboration between government agencies, educational institutions, and community leaders,” he stated.
The Commandant further urged school administrators, teachers, students, and parents to actively support government policies and security measures aimed at protecting schools across the 16 local government areas of Kwara State.
He reiterated that intelligence sharing, vigilance, and adherence to security protocols are essential in preventing security breaches.
In their separate remarks, the Balogun of Alanamu, Dr. Uthman Atolagbe and a lecturer at Al-Hikmah University, Dr. Adekola Abdulazeez, Ilorin stressed the importance of collaboration among school administrators, community leaders, and security agencies.
They also emphasized the importance of community participation, strengthened surveillance, and early warning systems in preventing security threats.
Both of the community leader and lecturer, further aligned their recommendations with the global Safe Schools Declaration, advocating policy implementation, security awareness, and risk assessment measures within educational institutions.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, through the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre (NSSRCC), serves as the coordinating agency for the Federal Government’s Safe School Initiative, established to protect students and create a secure learning environment.
Sola Rotimi
