Posted by On Monday, the third term of elementary and secondary schools will begin, but some parents and guardians are afraid to send their children because of the current security situation.
According to 460PLAY, certain schools were closed before Easter break owing to security concerns; this was especially true in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the nearby state of Kaduna.
Terrorists were on the loose, kidnapping students primarily in the north of the country, therefore many schools rescheduled their second-term exams to be completed during this time.
The daredevil terrorists caused chaos across the nation from March 6 to March 11, kidnapping 800 unsuspecting Nigerians, including youngsters.
Reportedly, kidnappers had intended to attack some public schools before the Easter break, with a focus on those in Bwari, Bwari Area Council.
However, from March 27th through the 29th, schools were off for vacation, which was much-needed by parents after their children’s final exams.
On the other hand, the vacations are over and classes will likely start up again on Monday, April 22, in public and private institutions alike.
Many schools in the region have increased security measures to protect pupils, according to Saturday’s DAILY POST report.
However, parents who spoke to our reporter on Saturday voiced concerns about potential school attacks and kidnappings.
Pastor Daniel Abimbola told DAILY POST on Saturday that parents should pray to God to safeguard their children, even though the government should provide enough security for pupils.
Although it is great that classes are back in session and students will be able to keep making academic progress, parents should be aware that the problem of insecurity is a major source of stress for them.
You must have sufficient faith before you can send your child to school if you are someone who listens to the news everytime and is familiar with the actions of these troublemakers.
But I beg you, everyone, to take refuge in Christ Jesus. Our children are in His care, so we must trust Him with them. The reality is that worrying won’t make things better.
If we are referring to government authorities charged with protecting citizens from harm, we must remember that they, too, would be defenseless against the nefarious kidnappers if God had not protected and empowered them.
I believe that in order to solve the national security crisis and other problems, we must all pray and seek God’s face. He expressed his belief that, according to Zechariah 1:3, if we seek God, he will seek us out as well.
Similarly, on Saturday, Mrs. Paulina Odoh spoke with DAILY POST and pleaded with the federal government to make school safety a top priority.
She mentioned that kidnapping has become into a lucrative industry, with some even going so far as to abduct themselves and hold them for ransom.
The fact that there have been no reports of kidnappings in Abuja as of late does not give the government license to rest easy. They snatched a slew of youngsters just when we thought it was over.
It is not always a good idea to sit around and do nothing. It’s time to take charge. All the schools can have their security stepped up if they so desire. If they are understaffed, then we should look at hiring additional police officers. The resources and means are available to Nigeria to ensure its safety.
According to information acquired by DAILY POST on Saturday, schools in certain areas of Kaduna, particularly the Kuriga village in the Chikun Local Government Area, are not getting ready to resume classes because they are afraid for their safety.
The public relations officer for the Kaduna State Police, Mansir Hassan, told DAILY POST that “there is no security threat anywhere” when asked about the situation.
Nasarawa State Police Command spokesman DSP Ramhan Nansel assured DAILY POST that Monday is a safe day for pupils to return to class.
The PPRO stated, “Nasarawa State is peaceful, and there’s no cause for alarm,” when questioned about the state’s security condition.
Similarly, SP Josephine Adeh, the PPRO of the FCT Police Command, emphasised that no school would be intimidated and that all schools are fortified.
At the same time, last week, Mrs. Halima Iliya, who is the national coordinator of the financing safe schools initiative, announced that preparations were in motion to actively include hunters and vigilantes in gathering intelligence in order to reduce school attacks nationwide.
The Coordinator told NAN in an interview that the second quarter of the year would be the beginning of vigorous community interactions and the sensitization of pupils, parents, and teachers.
We want to support the use of adolescents in areas without registered vigilantes and train their hunters, vigilantes, and volunteers in states with local vigilantes, as part of the plan.
Since we can’t do anything as a community without the participation of its youth, we can expect them to step up and volunteer to keep their neighborhoods safe.
Intelligence collection, detection and prevention capabilities, and deterrence capabilities will all be part of the security architecture that Iliya promised to offer them.