Attack on schools will drastically reduce in 2024 – NSCDC

Dr Ahmed Audi, Commandant-General (CG), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), says there are newly implemented security strategies to ensure that attacks on schools in Nigeria will reduce to the barest minimum.

Audi said while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday  in Abuja.

He said there were plans to tackle the attack on schools from the grassroots level.

“Part of our strategies is to actually concentrate on background issues that actually cause this asymmetric conflict as we plan to emphasise more on the non-kinetic approaches.

“This approach involves cautioning Nigerians, interactively engaging with community leaders, its members, school children and their teachers so that they will be aware as well as be able to identify suspicious movements.

“This will enable them to know when to call the attention of government as well as provide timely information so that together we will nip this problem in the bud; if you see something, say it,” Audi said.

The CG said because schools were classified as critical infrastructure, the corps was tasked to head the National Safe School Response Coordination Centre (NSSRCC) located at the NSCDC headquarters, Abuja.

“The centre, through the rapid response squad that was established nationwide, has averted over 48 attack attempts on schools nationwide,” CG said.

According to him, bandits have attacked schools, students, teachers and destroyed schools infrastructure to disorganise and cause very debilitating and devastating effect to the nation.

The helmsman said in view of this, the corps had decided to engage the Nigeria’s Governors Forum (NGF) during the first quarter, to sensitise them to the need to establish security response centres in their states.

“We want to express ourselves and tell them our concern by making them know the importance of having a state response centre for safer schools.

“We have already entered into discussion with state governments,” he said.

Audi further said some states –  Benue, Nasarawa, Rivers, Kano amongst others, had responded in providing coordination centres to promote safer schools.

“For states that are yet to respond, I am sure that after the engagement they will respond because this is of national interest,” he said.