Experts at a one-day security summit in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Tuesday brainstormed on the Federal Government’s Safe School Initiative, proposing ways forward for its successful implementation.

Themed “School Safety and Emergency Response Tips: Citizens’ Security”, the security summit, organised by the Ilorin West Division of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Kwara State Command, aimed at strengthening security measures in schools and their host communities.

The command reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety of students, teachers, host communities, and critical infrastructure.

Speaking at the event, the Divisional Officer of Ilorin West Division, Muhammed K. Hamzat, said: “The summit was designed to review and strengthen grassroots security architecture, with a particular focus on safeguarding schools, students, teachers, and surrounding communities.”

He further explained that the programme aimed to tackle rising security challenges in schools, particularly kidnapping, cultism, bullying, drug abuse, and other forms of violence within the school environment.

In his keynote address, the State Commandant of NSCDC, Dr Umar Muhammed, emphasised the NSCDC’s leading role in the implementation of the Federal Government’s Safe School Initiative. He also expressed concern over rising security threats in school environments and called for a coordinated and collective approach to mitigate risks.

According to him: “The safety of our children, teachers, and school communities is a shared responsibility that requires collaboration between government agencies, educational institutions, and community leaders.

“This summit is both timely and necessary, as it provides stakeholders with practical strategies to enhance school security and emergency response mechanisms.”

The commandant further urged school administrators, teachers, students, and parents to actively support government policies and security measures aimed at protecting schools across the 16 local government areas of the state.

He reiterated that intelligence sharing, vigilance, and adherence to security protocols are essential in preventing security breaches.

In their separate remarks, Dr Uthman Atolagbe, the Balogun Alanamu, and Dr Adekola Abdulazeez of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, stressed the importance of collaboration among school administrators, community leaders, and security agencies.

They emphasised the need for community participation, strengthened surveillance, and early warning systems in preventing security threats.

The experts further aligned their recommendations with the global Safe Schools Declaration, advocating policy implementation, security awareness, and risk assessment measures within educational institutions.

NSCDC, through the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre, NSSRCC, serves as the coordinating agency for the Federal Government’s Safe School Initiative, which was established to protect students and create a secure learning environment.