220 Schools In Nigeria, Mali And Burkina Faso Under Attacks  In 2023-Air Commodore Earnest Okoh

Rabiu Omaku

Air Commodore Earnest Okoh has described the new initiative of the Federal Government to establish the National Safe School Response Coordination Centre as a panacea that would reduce incessant attacks ranging from kidnapping and destruction of critical national assets like schools in the country.

Okoh in a paper presentation titled “Strategies For Community Engagement” during a North-Central stakeholder’s first meeting organized by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp on an awareness campaign by the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre saddled with the responsibility of protecting national buildings from attack.

He hinted this during a one-day sensitization workshop held at the Government House, Lafia, affirming that there were a series of attacks on schools in 84 countries in 2020, Giving instances of locations to include the Baslem school siege in Russia,148 cases alone in Pakistan in 2022.

He however maintained that Pakistan also had a coordinated attack on 130 schools in 2023, While a total of 220 schools were attacked in Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mali respectively.

Attesting that the incessant attacks on educational facilities and kidnapping led to the closure of several schools over the year, adding that Nigeria alone recorded 70 attacks in the year under review.

Air Commodore Okoh hinted that 180 students were affected while 184 were killed in the various attacks on public buildings across the country, He however explained that no fewer than 60 teachers were abducted.

“Away from the record of destruction of schools, killings and abduction,12 million children are out of school due to incessant attacks “.

Okoh declared that a total of 282 Chibok such girls were abducted by kidnappers, given an additional number of 23 students of the Federal University of Gusau, and 6 students of the Federal University of Lafia in October 2023.

He sued for the active participation of residents and community leaders to be proactive in ensuring the protection of schools in the country.

Brigadier General BMG Martins in a keynote address buttressed that there were cases of 300 attacks in 2022 which was a sharp 17 percent increase according to the outcome of statistics by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack.

He gave a brief number of attacks including the one of Government Secondary School Dapchi, Government Girls Science School, Chibok, Greenfield University, Kaduna.

The above attacks have resulted in a decline in the number of student enrollment with a negative impact following the number of deaths, injuries and destruction of properties.

Martins averred that the attack on Boni Yadi was another tragedy that will not die soon in the minds of students and parents alike, He said the inability of the concerned authority to secure the school due to the porosity of the structure was the core challenge.

“The continuous attack on schools has led to the decline in the quality of education, He however confirmed that GGSS Chibok which is a boarding school is now operating as a day school, Brigadier Martins says some of the abducted girls were used by the kidnappers or attackers as sex toy”.

According to him, “Some of the domestic solutions to the unbecoming is that those students are been used as a bargaining chip”.

Called on the need for improvement in governance and on community leaders to take over the ownership of the National Safe School Response Coordination Centre which he explained will serve as a buffer, As he applauded the Federal Government on the introduction of NSSRCC.

The Commandant General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Abubakar Audi attest that the declaration of NSSRCC was meant to protect schools from intermittent attacks by men of the underworld.

Audi averred that the incessant attacks have a devastating effect on schools, students and the economy as the attackers attack critical national assets.

He said Federal, State and Local Government has been engaged, Saying that certified arbitrators and youth groups are akin to the new initiative.

Urging all and sundry in the new initiative to report suspicious movement, affirm Lin get that with the NSSRCC, 48 kidnapping attempts botched

Described the one-day sensitization workshop as one of the series of workshops meant to galvanize the situation.

“If you want to destroy a nation, destroy it Education “According to Nelson Mandela, says the Commandant General

C.G Ahmed Audi maintained that the safety of schools is a collective responsibility of all and sundry but not for security alone, He however said the collective effort of security agencies will further foster partnership.

He applauded Governor Abdullahi Sule for granting the State as the hosting State as well as for allocating structure for the smooth take-off of the programme.

The State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule said proactive measures were taken by his administration in the area of security of lives and property.

Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe buttressed that concerted measures were taken to combat crime and criminalities.

“Most of the cases of kidnapping occurred off-campus, He further stated that plans are underway by the State Government to provide hostel accommodation to students.

The Governor however donated the temporary site of the apex bank, CBN for the smooth take-off of the programme.