Pulse.ng : Insecurity: Centre trains 200 personnel on schools protection

By Mohammed Tijjani

The National Safe Schools Response Centre has commenced the training of 200 personnel on schools protection in the North West.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 5-day training opened at Correctional Service Staff College on Tuesday in Kaduna.

The participants included personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other stakeholders from the seven states in the North West.

The Commander of the centre, Tersoo Shaapera, said the objective was to ensure the safety of students and communities, to ensure uninterrupted learning.

Shaapera represented by Atiyogo Sunday, an intelligence officer, said their core mandate was to prevent and coordinate responses to attacks on schools in Nigeria.

In his remarks, the NSCDC Commandant in Kaduna State, Idris Adah, said the training was to upscale the capacities of the participants to deliver on the task of ensuring safer schools in the region.

He said that schools being part of critical national assets and infrastructure must be protected at all cost.

According to him, the NSCDC has conducted a vulnerability survey of schools in 2021 which provided reliable data and statistics that paved way for the Federal Government to sign the Safe School Declaration.

He said that the inauguration of safe schools centre was in furtherance of the government’s determination to safeguard schools in the country.

Adeh said since the inauguration of the centre in February 2023, many trainings have been conducted for different categories of those charged with the duties of implementing the safe schools project.

“I am glad that at this moment, it is for us in this geopolitical zone.

“We must remain resolute and work in synergy with other security agencies especially in timely information sharing in confronting insecurity in schools and society in general.

“Other stakeholders should also remember that their role is key for us to collectively succeed as such should embrace their duties,” the commandant said.

He advised the participants to use the opportunity to cross fertilize ideas with a view to putting into practice the knowledge acquired afterwards.

In his goodwill message, the Commandant of Armed Forces Command and Staff College, AVM Hassan Alhaji, lauded the centre for the training.

Alhaji, represented by Brig.-Gen Oluremi Obolo, advised the centre to effectively coordinate efforts of other agencies and stakeholders to ensure safe schools in Nigeria.(NAN)