Abeokuta: By Our REPORTER
Published, Thursday, November 28, 2024
THE OGUN STATE POLICE COMMAND commissioned the Inspector-General of Police Safe School Initiative and officially launched the Safe School Protection Squad (SSPS) to ensure the safety and security of educational institutions particularly primary and secondary schools across the 20 Local Government Areas of the State.
These took place during a two-day seminar venued at POWA Hall Eleweran, Abeokuta between November 26 and 27, 2024, on the theme "Strengthening Security Resilience and Integration of Host Communities in the Protection of Education."
This initiative is imbedded in the nationwide agenda of Inspector General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, which aim at enhancing school security and safer learning environments.
Recognising the crucial role of education, the seminar equips the stakeholders with the safety protocols put in place for schools in Ogun State by the Nigeria Police Force. These strategies encompass rapid response capabilities, vehicle patrols, advanced technological measures, and ongoing security training for school administrators and partners.
Speaking at the stakeholders Forum On the Security of Schools in Ogun State and The Training of the Schools Protection Squad (SPS), the Commissioner of Police, Ogun 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, adding that if such vices were not nib by the bud they would disrupt the academics of students and put their lives in jeopardy.
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.
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 and make them not only sanctuaries of knowledge but also a nurturing ground for the future leaders of our country."
Governor Dapo Abiodun, while speaking at the event said, 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 insecurity."
He further added that the measure was the collaboration of not just the law enforcement and security agencies, it requires a holistic approach that involves all stakeholders — the government, local communities, security agencies, educational authorities, parents, and the private sector.
Earlier, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the schools, CP Lanre Ogunlowo said the national policy on safety, security and violence-free Schools came as a result of the report that more than 600 teachers were killed and attacked while more than 19,000 students were displaced between 2012 and 2016, hence the need to establish School Protection Squad to protect both teachers and students against attracts.
Dignitaries in attendance included the governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun CON, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, Phd., the Ogun State Commissioner of Police Alamutu and a host of other signatories and stakeholders.
The seminar, also, brought together various security agencies, government officials, traditional rulers, and private sector representatives to discuss vital topics such as security awareness, early warning systems, and the collaborative roles of stakeholders in school safety.
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