Leverage Tech To Tackle Schools Insecurity, NSCDC Tells FG

The Commander of Nigeria’s National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Hammed Abodunrin, has called on the federal government to use technology to fight insecurity in schools especially with the wave of heightened kidnapping of school children in recent times.

The National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre was established by the Federal Government on February 23, 2023, and saddled with the responsibility of coordinating safety and security responses against violence in schools and host communities following the cases of attacks on schools by bandits.

Aboderin, who spoke on Saturday on Lagos said the initiative would prioritise technological solutions over increased personnel for school security.

According to him, “No single agency possesses the capacity to cover all schools across Nigeria, given their vast number exceeding 100,000.

“Instead of fixating on the notion of sufficient personnel, the focus should shift towards enhancing technology for real-time monitoring, enabling early warning systems and prompt responses. Introducing armed personnel to schools can adversely impact children psychologically.

He further stated that safe school concerns encompass a wide array of challenges beyond banditry and insurgency, including incidents of rape, cultism, bullying, harassment, defilement, and various other vices within educational institutions.