News Editor
By David Odama
The Inspector General of police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun Tuesday vowed to tackle all forms of insecurity including kidnapping, banditry in Nasarawa State.
He said the police force would continue to work hard towards creating a safer and more secured learning environment for students and teachers across the 13 Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State.
Speaking during a stakeholders forum on the Security of Schools in Nasarawa State, the Inspector General of Police, said the initiative was a demostration of commitment towards ensuring the safety of students and educational institutions.
Represented by the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 4, Makurdi, AIG Zachariah Achinyan, therefore, directed all commissioners of police within the zone to engage with relevant stakeholders in order to ensure that the safety of schools is guaranteed.
“We cannot over emphasis the importance of school to the overall development of our dear Nation, they are not only a sanctuary of knowledge but also a nurturing ground for our future leaders.
” This means that the security of schools determines the security of our future, we will make use of modern technology and intelligent policing to ensure proactive law enforcement presence around our schools”, the IGP stated.
Speaking further during the Technical Section of the 2-days programme, the National Coordinator and Commissioner of Police in charge of Schools Protection Squad, Force Headquarters, Abuja, Abayomi Shogunle disclosed that the team had deployed the usage of modern technology to address the issues of insecurity in schools across the country.
He urged educational stakeholders in Nasarawa State and Nigeria at large to regularly inform the SPS team through its dedicated phone numbers and other channels of communication of any breaches of insecurity within recognized learning environments.
“The squad has the specific responsibility to take care of schools. What we are trying to do is to be proactive in preventing security issues at any educational institution in Nasarawa State, and in Nigeria at large.
“The IGP set up the SPS for the provision of security and safety in all educational institutions in Nigeria, so the school protection squad is specifically trained to respond to school emergencies all over the federation, and we are doing it in collaboration with other security agencies both at the federal, state and local government levels.”
He urged schools, parents, and communities to work in consonant with the security agencies as they champion the cause of the safety and well-being of students in schools.
On his part, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Nasarawa State Command, Sanusi Jida, explained that the initiative was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which is also a core part of the mandate of the Nigeria Police Force to protect lives and property.
“The people of Nasarawa State should expect a very robust patrol around all the schools that we have. There are provisions for logistics, and I believe that we equally have well-trained men who will help in carrying out this robust patrol around various schools in the state,” he said.
Earlier while delivering his lecture on “Security Awareness on the Safety and Security of Schools/Stakeholders Responsibility in Crisis Situation”, the Lecturer at the Department of Public Administration, Benue State University, Makurdi, Dr. Benjamin Tough described the initiative as a step forward, and a collective effort towards safeguarding the lives of students and teachers in Nasarawa State.
He narrated that the establishment of the schools’ protection squad demonstrated a renewed commitment to proactive security measures, which would help with early intervention in security situations, and creating a secured and conducive environment for learning.
