… As FG identifies vulnerable schools, communities in Nigeria
A total of sixty police officers have been selected to train as officers of the Safe School Protection Squadron (SP) in the state of Gombe, after which they will be deployed in schools throughout the state.
The dissemination was carried out by the National Coordinator and Police Commissioner in charge of the SPS at the headquarters of the Force, CP Abayomi Shogunle, during an interested part forum in preparation for the training and launch of the School Protection Squadron (SP), a specialized unit dedicated to security schools and prevent attacks in the state of Gombe.
The commitment, which brought together the relevant stakeholders in the school security sector was labeled: “Strengthening the safety and integration resilience of the reception communities in the protection of education.”
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Shogunle said: “This does not mean that other police officers in the state will not respond to threats. The force is ready and we have trained the officers in early warning signs so that they can be proactive and address these threats before they occur.”
According to him, the establishment of the SPS marks a change in the country's approach to ensure the education sector, which has faced increasing threats of bandit, insurgency and criminal activities throughout the country, thus negatively affecting the education sector.
He assured that the SPS will focus on surveillance, intelligence compilation and the rapid response to security threats in school environments in and their surroundings.
The National SPS coordinator added that the initiative seeks to strengthen security resilience and integrate host communities into the security architecture in education protection.
Shogunle explained that “the implementation of the plan is in phases with the state of Gombe as one of the pilot states.”
Also speaking, the national coordinator on the financing of safe schools, Hajiya Halima Iliya, revealed that the federal government has identified schools throughout the country that are vulnerable to threats and has properly planned to protect and improve the safety of schools throughout the country.
“We have the data for all vulnerable communities, which we have planned properly. We have written to all states to take possession and provide information about all vulnerable communities because, if you observe geopolitical areas, everyone has their peculiarity and we are ready.
“We are working with intelligence bodies to provide us with an analysis of threats, in which we are working aggressively,” he said.
When commenting on the SPS, Halima Iliya declared that the School Protection Squadron is part of the plans of the National Coordination of School Response Coordination (NSSRCC), as well as part of the obligation of the Police contained in the National Plan.
In his speech, the Gombe State Police Commissioner, Bello Yahaya, emphasized the importance of creating a safe space for students and educators for shocking learning and teaching.
He said: “Education is the backbone of our nation. Ensuring that our schools are safe is not only a priority but a responsibility that we must all share.”
Gombe's internal security commissioner, Abdullahi Bello, said the government is committed to guaranteeing the safety of schools and communities throughout the state.
The commissioner declared that the governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, is firm, ready to support the implementation of the SPS initiative in the state.
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