Engaging OAU Stakeholders for Strategic Safety, Security Overhaul

The Council and management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, recently convened a two-day security summit with the objectives of reviewing the current security architecture and that of its environs, identifying prevailing and emerging threats, and proffering sustainable solutions to enhance the safety and security of all members of the university community. Funmi Ogundare reports

The Oduduwa Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, recently witnessed the convergence of members of council, principal officers, security and common services department, provost, deans, directors, heads of departments, academic and non-academic staff, students, security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), police, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), among others, for a two- day security summit.

Themed, ‘Strengthening the Security Architecture at Obafemi Awolowo University: Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Solutions’, the summit aimed to review the university’s current security setup, address past panel observations, identify existing and emerging threats, and propose lasting solutions to improve safety, as recommended by the 2016-2020 Visitation Panel Report White Paper.

In his remarks, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof. Siyan Oyeweso, said that security is not just an operational matter, but an existential imperative for the institution, adding that the summit, was a direct response to the recommendations of the federal government visitation panel, aimed at crafting a strategic and modern security policy to safeguard its academic community.

“The panel, in its white paper covering the years 2016 to 2020, identified critical internal and external threats to campus safety from cultism and theft to land encroachment, cyber breaches, and herdsmen infiltration.

“This is not an arbitrary event. It is the fulfillment of an urgent call to action. The governing council is committed to ensuring that this summit marks the beginning of deliberate, consistent, and system-wide interventions,” Oyeweso said.

He highlighted OAU’s vast but underutilised landmass, of which only 18 per cent is developed, as a major security liability, surrounded by informal communities without defined boundaries. He also acknowledged the presence of existing security units, such as the quick response squad, but noted severe shortfalls, including manpower shortages, irregular patrols, and increasing infiltration by cybercriminals and unauthorized persons.

Other pressing issues, the pro-chancellor noted, include unsafe student housing off-campus, lack of CCTV surveillance, reckless driving on campus, and poor collaboration with law enforcement. He outlined key pillars for reforming the university’s security infrastructure, including a unified security policy developed through expert and stakeholder input, the deployment of CCTV, motion detectors, and alarm systems, partnerships with local communities, students, and vigilante groups, recruitment reforms, and structured retraining for security personnel, among others.

He also urged the university to draw lessons from institutions like Lagos State University, which has implemented a licensed, well-equipped campus marshal unit with the capacity for armed protection and covert operations.

Oyeweso called on students, staff unions, and community leaders to play their part in maintaining peace and security. He condemned the practice of jungle justice among student groups and encouraged respect for due process, institutional policies, and national laws.

“Security cannot thrive in isolation. We must be vigilant, responsible, and united. Every stakeholder has a role to play,” he said.

Prof. Ropo Akinfala, Chairman of the university’s Security Committee, outlined a comprehensive blend of physical and cyber security measures, policy reforms, and collaboration with security agencies to protect lives, property, and academic activities within the university estate.

At the heart of this initiative are several strategic pillars: upgraded surveillance, policy-backed security procedures, intelligence sharing with federal agencies, and enhanced emergency response systems.

A draft of the campus security policy and standard operating procedures, Akinfala noted, is already awaiting management approval, signaling institutional commitment to a more structured and proactive security culture.

He pointed out key vulnerabilities that demand urgent attention, including inadequate CCTV coverage, poor lighting in residential and academic zones, obsolete communication equipment, and a largely casualised security workforce , over 65 per cent of which lacks full employment status.

“Notably, many campus areas such as hostels, lecture halls, and perimeter zones remain exposed due to incomplete fencing and poor surveillance infrastructure,” the chairman stated.

He expressed concern about the issue of cybersecurity and cybercrime targeting students, staff, and the university’s administrative platforms and recommended deploying basic mobile alert systems and enhancing digital monitoring tools. This would ensure a multi-pronged strategy focused on infrastructure upgrades, human resource strengthening, and technological enhancements.

“There is a need for installation of solar-powered streetlights in dark zones, recruitment of at least 100 security assistants and 20 fire assistants on permanent terms, deployment of more CCTV cameras and real-time monitoring systems as well as stronger partnerships with the police, DSS, NSCDC, Amotekun, and local vigilantes,” Akinfala stated. “while the blueprint is solid, effective implementation hinges on sustained budgetary support and strategic intervention from university management and stakeholders.”

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adebayo Bamire, who declared the summit open, called for an end to complacency in the face of rising security threats.

He restated that while security challenges, such as theft, cultism, cyber-attacks, and urban encroachment, persist, they can no longer be met with silence or inaction.

“These challenges are diverse, but they are united by a common adversary- complacency. And today, we reject it,” said Bamire.

The vice-chancellor described the summit as a ‘visionary step’ and a platform not only for response, but for proactive reform, community partnership, and technological innovation. He outlined a bold vision for modernising the university’s security infrastructure, including the deployment of CCTV surveillance, biometric access control systems, emergency alert tools, and AI-powered threat detection.

He pointed out that security must be a shared responsibility, urging all students, staff, and university stakeholders to remain vigilant, report any suspicious activity, and actively support initiatives aimed at safeguarding the campus.

“Let this summit mark a defining moment, when we reaffirm our collective resolve to make OAU not only a citadel of intellectual excellence but also a fortress of safety, dignity, and peace for all,” added Bamire.

A cybersecurity expert and former Zonal Director of the South-West Zone of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Office of the National Security Adviser (Presidency), Ben Sola Akinade (DIS Rtd), stated that Nigeria’s digital future is under immediate threat from rising cybercrime.

He urged national and institutional stakeholders to make cybersecurity a central pillar of national and campus security infrastructure.

“Cybersecurity is no longer optional. It is the frontline defense of modern security infrastructure. Nigeria must invest in it with the same urgency as physical defense,” Akinlade stated.

Akinade recalled recent data, including a 2024 INTERPOL report,  warning that the country’s involvement in global cybercrime networks is damaging its international reputation and economic future.

“With over 150 million internet users and an expanding digital economy, Nigeria loses over $500 million annually to cybercrime, including phishing, ransomware, romance scams, and business email compromise (BEC) attacks,” he said, adding that critical sectors like healthcare, banking, education and governance have experienced operational disruptions due to cyber-attacks, including a 2023 ransomware incident at a Lagos hospital.

“From identity theft to cyberterrorism, the scale of risk is vast. Institutions like OAU, government agencies, and private firms must rethink their security models to include cyber resilience,” he said.

The expert stressed that cybersecurity education should be introduced in schools and extended to underserved rural communities, where awareness remains low and risks are on the rise.

At the end of the summit, participants listed some of the challenges confronting the institution including; incidents of theft, cultism, rape and unlawful entry; encroachment into the university estate, increasing cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities in data systems; lack of perimeter fencing, absence of surveillance technologies, training and retraining, inadequate qualified personnel and modern security equipment and tools.

They noted the over-dependence on casual security personnel and the large numbers of old mainstream personnel who are nearing retirement, and directed management to discontinue the practice of engaging casual personnel in the security department and also replace all aged personnel by the first quarter of 2026.

They lamented the lean security budget provided yearly for the university’s security and called on management to make adequate provision for funds, commencing with the 2026 budget, to overhaul the entire security apparatus, equipment, and gadgets, and ensure the provision of ICT-compliant security with smart technologies for effective university security. They also called for a comprehensive report on its security infrastructure and directed management to immediately put in place a committee to improve on the security survey and mapping of the university by the use of modern technology to guide meaningful upgrade of the entire security system before the end of the third quarter of 2025, among others.