Experts Proffer Solutions To Protect Nigerian Schools

Education, security and crisis management experts have proposed practical measures to protect Nigerian schools.

The experts urged governments at all levels to adopt intelligence-led security, strengthen community participation, expand mental health support and improve emergency preparedness to tackle worsening insecurity and the country’s growing out-of-school crisis.

Speaking in exclusive interviews with LEADERSHIP, they warned that worsening insecurity and the growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria require practical action rather than more policy pronouncements.

A professional historian specialising in West Africa, Dr Kwasi Konadu, said the recent abduction of teachers and students in Oyo State demonstrated that no part of Nigeria could still be considered immune from attacks on schools, despite the successful rescue of the victims.

Konadu, a professor at Colgate University, Reston, Virginia, United States, recalled that seven teachers and 39 students abducted on May 15 were rescued after 56 days in captivity, while one teacher was killed.

“The Oyo case shows that the challenges surrounding school security have remained visible since the 2014 Chibok kidnappings. It also proves that no region should be regarded as completely safe,” Konadu told LEADERSHIP.

According to him, experts have consistently identified practical measures capable of improving school security, including fencing schools, installing effective alarm systems linked to security agencies and surrounding communities, strengthening intelligence sharing among the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the military, and working closely with traditional leaders and local vigilante groups.

“Government has spent almost N83 billion over the past few years, yet more than 2,000 teachers and students have still been kidnapped. Prevention and rapid response must become the focus of government resources instead of poorly coordinated spending,” he said.

Konadu also stressed that rescued students require long-term psychological care in addition to physical treatment.

“Many survivors struggle with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and social stigma after returning to school.

“Their injuries are often psychological rather than physical, yet there is little structured mental health support available for them,” he said.

He pointed to conflict-affected schools in Borno State that combine classroom learning with medical and mental health services as models that should be replicated across the country.

Speaking on Nigeria’s out-of-school crisis, Konadu noted that estimates vary significantly, with UNESCO and the World Bank placing the number of primary school-age children out of school at about 9.1 million, while UNICEF estimates it could be as high as 20 million.

“Whether the figure is nine million or 20 million, the underlying causes remain the same: poverty, insecurity, cultural and religious barriers, especially for girls in parts of northern Nigeria, and the hidden costs of so-called free education.

“The solution is not simply announcing more grants. Physical security, genuine intelligence coordination, medical and mental health care, school counsellors and sustained investment in early education are what Nigeria needs.

“Existing plans must be implemented instead of remaining on paper.”

Also speaking, Philip Farina, founder and chief security and safety adviser at Risky Business, said protecting schools requires a multi-layered approach.

“It is a multi-layered process. Rule number one is to lock down the facility through various measures, including secure doors, locks, access control systems, window security film, bollards and alarms.

“This should be followed by visitor management procedures and measures to secure classrooms against criminal attacks,” he said.

The founder of Sovereix, Mahendra Balal, said the insecurity facing Nigerian schools is a national crisis requiring strategic organisational reforms rather than isolated security responses.

“The crisis facing Nigerian schools is not solely an educational issue; it is a profound organisational and risk management challenge,” Balal told LEADERSHIP.

According to him, governments should move from reactive security measures to resilient, community-based systems capable of preventing attacks before they occur.

“There must be structural investment in community-integrated intelligence systems. Schools cannot operate as isolated institutions. Security must involve local community leaders and stakeholders who possess the best ground-level intelligence on emerging threats,” he said.

Balal also advocated decentralising learning where insecurity makes conventional schools vulnerable.

“When large schools become attractive targets, governments should establish smaller, community-protected micro-schools and secure technology-enabled learning hubs so education can continue safely,” he said.

On emergency preparedness, he stressed that every Nigerian school should have clearly defined crisis management procedures.

“Every emergency response plan must contain a clear chain of communication and authority that continues functioning even if normal telephone networks fail. Schools need secure communication protocols linking administrators, security agencies and parents so lockdowns or evacuations can begin immediately after a verified threat,” he added.

Mental health advocate Jake Jafet of MKB Media Solutions, Manila, Philippines, warned that many traumatised children conceal emotional distress despite appearing calm.

Jafet said children exposed to prolonged insecurity often develop subtle behavioural changes rather than obvious panic.

“What we frequently observe is a slow narrowing of behaviour. Students begin avoiding certain places, refuse to sleep alone and repeatedly check doors and locks. These are warning signs that schools should never ignore,” he said.

According to him, the psychological impact of kidnappings does not disappear simply because victims have been rescued.

“Parents continue sending their children to school while living with constant fear created by repeated kidnapping incidents. That background anxiety remains long after the immediate crisis has ended,” he said.

Jafet urged schools to train teachers to recognise early signs of trauma among learners.

“Teachers should be equipped to identify repetitive checking behaviours, avoidance patterns and other indicators of distress during the first few weeks of every school session instead of waiting for students to ask for help,” he added.