Amid worsening security challenges, especially the kidnapping of pupils, killing of monarchs and other crimes, security agencies in Ekiti State have synergised to protect schools in the state.
The incidents were recorded in the state in January when unknown gunmen abducted some pupils and teachers of a private school in the state.
The incident involved nine persons comprising five students, three female teachers and a driver of Apostolic Faith Group of Schools, Emure Ekiti.
The kidnappers shot at their bus while returning from Eporo-Ekiti and later whisked them away to an undisclosed destination.
The occurrence of the dastardly incident had raised questions on how school environments could be effectively protected.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP in Ado Ekiti, the public relations officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Ekiti State Command, Tolu Afolabi said about 3,000 operatives cutting across other security outfits are to be engaged to protect schools.
Afolabi stated that the corps had already prepared its safe school squad to ensure that they guard all schools both public and private in Ekiti State.
He said NSCDC is presently collaborating with the state government and the private school owners in the state to map out the schools and carryout threat assessment on them.
According to him, “Those identified to be prone to attack will be adequately guarded and protected, by that, there won’t be a repeat of what happened in Eporo Ekiti in January. That is why the school protection initiative system is here for every stakeholder to explore.
“We are also partnering with other friendly people and organisations in the state including the Amotekun Corps, local hunters, private guard companies and other security outfits.”
He added that the stakeholders are being engaged to secure and protect pupils, teachers and others working in the school environments across the state.
The operation safe school initiative is going to be a tripartite cooperation between NSCDC, the state government, association of private school owners and other interested stakeholders in the state. The operation is to be led by NSCDC officers who are trained in the act.”
The NSCDC spokesman further said that, „After the threat assessment process to know schools that are very prone to the attack is concluded, i.e those without perimeter fence, some sited in the bush where there are no security operatives were identified. We Have started the assessment and there will be reappraisal and we shall see how to go about it. So, those that are not secured, operatives will be stationed there, those will less security threat, we will know how to patrol the areas from time to time.”
On what Amotekun Corps in the state was doing to protect school pupils and staff in the state , the chief operating officer of the outfit, Mr Ajayi Aderotimi, said a school security initiative is in place to that effect.
Aderotimi stated that the committee set up with other sister agencies has the mandate to arrest students in uniform wandering around during the school period.
Children of school age hawking goods are also to be apprehended during school hours,“ he said.
He said patrols around all schools both public and private in all local governments are being carried out to ward off attackers and kidnappers.
Such patrol is also in place around boarding schools, especially those in border towns in the state. There are phone numbers to be called when such cases arise and all area commands and outposts of the corps have been fortified in LGs and LCDAs in the state with more operatives while we continue to strategise with other sister agencies,“ he said.
