Funmi Ogundare
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Rilwan Disu, yesterday called for stronger intelligence gathering, early-warning systems, and improved collaboration between schools and security agencies to prevent attacks on educational institutions across the country.
He stated that sustainable school protection requires a shift from reactive responses to preventive measures, stressing that safeguarding schools must be treated as a national security priority rather than the sole responsibility of school administrators or security agencies.
Disu also called for stronger police-community partnerships, improved emergency preparedness, and effective information-sharing among government, school authorities, parents, community leaders, and other stakeholders to address threats to educational institutions.
The IGP made the call while delivering the keynote address at the 7th annual summit of the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN) held in Lagos with the theme: ‘Schools Under Threat: From Reactive Responses to Sustainable Protection’.
Disu, who was represented by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, said the consequences of insecurity in schools extended beyond victims of attacks to include heightened anxiety among families, loss of public confidence, disruption of academic activities and the denial of educational opportunities to children.
According to him, a society cannot achieve its full potential when insecurity prevents children from accessing education or discourages teachers from performing their duties in safe and supportive environments.
“School safety must therefore be understood not merely as the responsibility of school administrators or security agencies, but as a national security priority and a collective obligation,” he said.
He noted that although immediate responses to security incidents, including rescuing victims, apprehending offenders and restoring safety, remained essential, greater attention must be given to identifying vulnerabilities and preventing the recurrence of attacks.
The police boss said the police would continue to strengthen intelligence-led operations, improve threat assessment and encourage the prompt reporting of credible security concerns.
The IGP urged school administrators, teachers, parents, students and community members to report suspicious developments through appropriate channels, adding that such information must be professionally assessed and acted upon where necessary.
He also emphasised the importance of trust between security agencies and communities, noting that effective partnerships depended on professional conduct, accountability and public confidence.
On emergency preparedness, Disu called on schools to establish appropriate safety arrangements and procedures that reflected their locations, sizes and levels of vulnerability.
He urged EWAN to sustain the conversation beyond the summit by developing practical recommendations, strengthening professional networks and maintaining engagement with institutions responsible for education and security.
“The future of our nation depends, in no small measure, on the opportunities we create for our children today. Protecting those opportunities is a responsibility we must all take seriously,” he said.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion and former Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, called for a unified national framework for school safety, urging federal, state and local governments to strengthen early-warning systems, improve security coordination and prioritise preventive measures to protect schools against attacks.
He said Nigeria must move beyond reactive responses to school attacks, including abductions of learners and teachers, to sustainable protection strategies that prevent threats, mitigate their impact and ensure continuity of education during crises.
Ogundipe, who is the chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC), said the recurring attacks on educational institutions in some parts of the country were not isolated incidents but a pattern threatening national development, disrupting learning and leaving affected communities traumatised.
According to him, protecting schools requires more than deploying security personnel after an attack, condemning incidents or providing temporary relief to affected communities.
“For too long, our responses have been largely reactive, mobilising security after an incident, issuing statements of condemnation, and providing temporary relief to affected communities. While these actions are necessary, they are not sufficient,” Ogundipe, who was represented by the Dean of Faculty of Education, Prof. Joseph Awoyinfa, stated
He urged stakeholders to build systems capable of identifying and addressing security threats before they escalate, stressing that effective school protection requires collaboration among security agencies, local communities, school authorities and the media.
He said journalists have a critical role to play in identifying emerging risks, amplifying community concerns, investigating security gaps and ensuring that vulnerabilities are addressed before they result in tragedies.
He also identified insecurity, weak governance in remote areas and socio-economic pressures as some of the underlying factors that made schools vulnerable to attacks.
Ogundipe advocated sustained investment in school infrastructure, surveillance systems, safe transportation and secure boarding facilities, with greater attention given to rural schools and institutions in conflict-prone areas.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN), Mojeed Alabi, urged journalists to intensify investigative and accountability reporting on school safety, warning that persistent attacks on educational institutions threaten the future of Nigerian children and national development.
Alabi said journalists must move beyond reporting school attacks after they occur to investigating security vulnerabilities, scrutinising funds allocated for school protection and tracking the implementation of government policies aimed at preventing attacks.
He said the protection of schools required coordinated action by government, security agencies, education authorities, communities and the media, stressing that journalism remained essential to exposing security lapses and holding public officials accountable.
“Children are not safe until every school is safe,” he said, adding that no parent should have to choose between a child’s education and safety, while no teacher should have to work under the threat of abduction
Alabi recalled the 2014 abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, and the subsequent Dapchi abduction, alongside other attacks on educational institutions, as evidence that insecurity in schools remained a persistent national challenge.