The Federal Government has launched a new Smart School Protection Strategy aimed at strengthening security across schools nationwide, as official data shows that a majority of Nigerian schools lack basic protective infrastructure.
The initiative was unveiled on February 11 during a strategic engagement between the Federal Ministry of Education and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The move comes amid persistent concerns over attacks, abductions and insecurity affecting schools in parts of the country in recent years.
Speaking during a working visit to the NSCDC, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, described student safety as a central government responsibility.
“Our children must feel safe in their classrooms. Schools must remain sanctuaries of learning, not targets of criminality. This renewed partnership with the NSCDC reflects a structured, proactive, and technology enabled approach to school security,” Alausa said.
As part of the framework, the ministry is establishing a dedicated Department of Safe School Initiative to coordinate school safety policy, monitoring and inter-agency collaboration nationwide. The NSCDC will remain the lead operational agency for school protection across the federation.
According to the minister, the strategy includes the deployment of “smart security solutions,” such as emergency panic alert systems and rapid response mechanisms designed to reduce response time during security incidents. These measures are to be integrated into command and control centres to improve coordination and intelligence-led interventions.
Alausa also said the ministry is pursuing new financing models to reduce reliance on irregular budgetary releases and ensure consistent implementation of school protection measures.
Responding, NSCDC Commandant General Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi said a nationwide assessment by the corps found significant security gaps.
He disclosed that “over 60,000 of more than 81,000 schools across the country lack adequate security infrastructure, including perimeter fencing.” He added that the findings informed the creation of specialised units, including the Safe Schools Protection Squad and a trained Female Squad, which he said have “collectively foiled more than 110 threats nationwide.”
Audi said the corps is also strengthening community-based approaches through the Schools Community Security Vanguard, which brings together parents, school administrators, traditional rulers and youth groups to improve local vigilance and intelligence gathering.
School security has remained a national concern following multiple mass abductions of students since 2014, particularly in northern states. While authorities have rolled out various safe school initiatives over the years, implementation challenges and funding gaps have persisted.
The latest strategy signals an attempt to institutionalise a more coordinated, technology-backed and prevention-focused approach. Its effectiveness will likely depend on sustained funding, inter-agency coordination and the ability to address infrastructure deficits across thousands of vulnerable schools.
