‘No Fewer Than 600 Teachers Killed in Attacks, 19,000 Displaced in Nigeria’

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

The National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools in a 2021 report has indicated that between 2012 and 2016, more than 600 teachers were killed in attacks, while more than 19,000 were displaced.

The National Coordinator and Commissioner of Police, School Protection Squad (SPS), Force headquarters, Abuja, Abayomi Shogunle, made this know yesterday at a stakeholders’ forum on security of schools in Osun State and the training of the schools protection squad operatives.

Shogunle, who spoke on the theme: ‘Strengthening security resilience and integration of host communities in the protection of education’, said it aligns with the national plan on financing safe schools in Nigeria.

He opined that “the security and safety of our schools and other learning environment continue to attract the attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

According to him, “In recent years, Nigeria had faced security challenges such as kidnappings, homicide related cases, and destruction of school infrastructure sometimes leading to school closures and negatively affecting the host communities, these incidences can be linked to the increasing numbers of out-of-school children.

“The National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools in a 2021 report indicated that between 2012 and 2016, more than 600 teachers were killed in attacks, while more than 19,000 were displaced.

“The Nigerian Government, recognizing its responsibility to create a safer and more secure learning environment, formally signed the safe school declaration documentation on December 31, 2019, to signal the country’s commitment to its implementation alongside 118 member countries. To further demonstrate the resolve to address the serious challenges posed by conflicts and insecurity to safety of schools, the Federal Ministry of Finance, in consultation with local and global stakeholders, conveyed a high-level forum on PA on April 20, 2021, to address the menace of attacks on education on a holistic and sustainable basis by creating innovative sources of funding through federal, state and local governments.

He said the plan has a national investment response aimed at protecting schools, learners, teachers and non-teaching staff from attacks in all parts of Nigeria, and was designed to achieve measurable outcomes such as reducing the numbers of out of school children and improving Nigerian

The national coordinator, however, stressed some objectives of the forum, which includes to strengthen security resilience and integrate host communities into the security architecture in the protection of education, to enhance the capacity of the school communities to protect education and to create an effective national school security and emergency response infrastructure.

Others are to enhance the capacity of security agencies to gather intelligence, prevent, and respond to attacks on educational Institutions, to provide assistance to survivors of attacks on educational Institutions.

Shogunle also noted that the implementation of the plan is in phases with Osun State being one of the pilot states.

He, however, opined that the “right to education is central to social and economic progress, and investment in education is an investment in human capital development. These policies, programmes and activities are in line with the current administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the mandate of the Nigeria Police Force to protect lives and property which IG Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun is vigorously pursuing.

Also in his remarks, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, noted that despite the fact that Osun is one of the most peaceful states in the country, there are some pockets of crisis in our schools that needs attention.

He said the forum would deliberate on critical issues, best practices, and innovative solutions to address the security challenges facing our schools in the state.