Police Prioritize School Safety: IGP’s New Initiative for Secure Learning Environments

In a bold move to ensure the safety of educational institutions nationwide, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Olukayode Egbetokun, has announced that the police will continue to give priority to the safety and security of schools.

This commitment was made during the inauguration of a training on safe schools for state coordinators and divisional police officers (DPOs) in Abuja.

The training, which was attended by relevant stakeholders, aimed to equip state coordinators and DPOs with comprehensive knowledge and strategies on national plans for the Safe Schools initiative.

The goal is to craft a definitive strategy for collaboration between the police and other vital stakeholders to ensure a more protected learning environment for schoolchildren.

To optimize the human and material resources of the Nigeria Police in combating crimes, particularly those targeting educational institutions, the IGP also inaugurated platforms, vehicles, and equipment for the Safe School program.

The current police administration has established the Special Intervention Squad to swiftly address and counteract criminal activities nationwide, in support of the School Protection Squad, to ensure that educational facilities remain free from danger and unwelcome incidents.

The police will work harmoniously with relevant security agencies and stakeholders, including host communities, to confront those attacking schools.

The IGP urged the participants to embrace the training with the utmost seriousness, adding that the knowledge and skills to be acquired would directly impact the quality of services to be rendered.

Mrs Halima Iliya, the National Coordinator, Financing Safe Schools Secretariat, highlighted that the kidnapping of schoolchildren represented a major extensional threat to the Nigerian educational system, contributing to the huge population of out-of-school children in the country.

She called for a policy framework to provide sustainable funding to address these challenges.

With this new initiative from the IGP and the Nigeria Police, the safety and security of schools is set to be a top priority, ensuring that students and staff can learn and work in a secure environment.