November 26, (THEWILL) – Ogun State Police Command, on Tuesday, commissioned the Inspector-General of Police Safe Schools Initiative and its Safer Schools Protection Squad (SPS), to ensure the safety and security of educational institutions particularly primary and secondary schools across the 20 Local Government Areas of the State.
The Command undertook the initiatives in collaboration with the federal government, to ensure that every school in the Gateway State is adequately fortified with the right mechanism including rapid deployment, vehicular patrol, and school orientation for safer security of students, principals and partners of all schools in the state.
Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Abiodun Alamutu, said that the initiatives were borne out of the desire of the police force to ensure the security of students by protecting them against threats, fear, bullying, violence, kidnapping, terrorism as well as insecurities, said that if such were not curbed, it would disrupt their academics and put their lives in danger
He spoke at the stakeholders Forum On the Security of Schools in Ogun State and The Training Of the Schools Protection Squad (SPS) held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, with the theme” Strengthening Security Resilience and Integration of Host Communities In Education” in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Alamutu maintained that the safety of the schools in the state became necessary due to crime and criminal activities in the schools and society, noting that a safe school could produce a violence-free educational environment which in turn would produce excellence and productive achievers in our society.
He urged the police force and educational authorities as well as community stakeholders to work together to ensure that the schools were armoured against potential threats and attacks to make the school safer for students’ learning.
The CP, however, opined that a training workshop would be organized for educators, administrators and security personnel to train them on skills and the use of modern technology to protect and secure the schools while parents, guardians and students would also be engaged on protective measures for safety in schools.
He said, “I stand before you today with a profound sense of responsibility and hope as we launch the Inspector-General of Police Safe Schools Initiative and inauguration of Ogun State Police Command “Schools Protection Squad”(SPS). This occasion marks a fundamental moment in our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our educational institutions are not only sanctuaries of knowledge but also a nurturing ground for the future leaders of our country.
Education is the foundation of our society, a catalyst for progress where thoughts are conceived, ideas are exchanged, and dreams are nurtured. This explains why this sacred space must be protected against threats. Threats that can disrupt learning, instil fear or endanger the lives of those who walk through the circumference.” he noted
Governor Dapo Abiodun, while speaking at the event said that as a state with large numbers of education institutions in Nigeria, his administration was saddled with the responsibility of securing the lives and properties of learners especially those in primary and secondary schools.
Abiodun, who was represented by the Commissioner for Education Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, charged the host communities of education institutions in the state to collaborate with the security agencies to safeguard the lives of the students from crime and possibly attacks within and outside the schools.
He said the theme: “Strengthening Security Resilience and Integration of Host Communities,” is timely and relevant, as it seeks to address one of the most pressing challenges facing our educational sector and our country at large. The need to safeguard our schools and the people within them cannot be overstated.
“Without the safety and security of our children, there can be no meaningful education, no sustainable development, and no future for our nation. As a government, we understand that it is not enough to merely provide a secure environment. We must build resilience — the ability to withstand, respond to, and recover from security.
“This requires more than just law enforcement and security measures; it requires a holistic approach that involves all stakeholders — the government, local communities, security agencies, educational authorities, parents, and the private sector”, he added.
Earlier, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the schools, CP Lanre Ogunlowo said that national policy on safety, security and violence-free Schools indicated that more than 600 teachers were reportedly killed and attacked while more than 19,000 students were displaced between 2012 and 2016, hence the need to establish the school for protection of teachers and students against attracts.
