Key Points

• Gunmen attacked schools despite federal warnings and ongoing security directives.

• States failed to fund or activate Safe Schools centres.

• Parents and student groups pressed governors to implement the programme.

The Safe Schools Initiative remains inactive in 30 states even as kidnappers continue to target schools across the country.

The programme, created in 2014 after the Chibok abduction, was designed to protect pupils and teachers through stronger security, early-warning systems and safer learning environments.

Nigeria signed the Safe Schools Declaration in 2015, ratified it in 2019 and hosted the fourth global conference in Abuja.

A national policy followed in 2021, backed by a N144.8bn financing plan for 2023 to 2026. Only a small portion of the money has been released.

Several states haven’t met their co-funding commitments, slowing down the launch of key structures.

The result is a school system exposed to attacks, especially in northern communities. Many children aren’t returning to class because families fear more kidnappings.

Fresh Abductions Deepen Public Fear

Before dawn on November 17, armed men stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State.

They abducted 24 students and killed a vice-principal. The girls were freed on Tuesday.

Four days later, attackers moved into St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State’s Papiri community.

Church and local officials confirmed that 303 pupils and 12 teachers were taken in one of the largest mass kidnappings recorded in the country.

Security agencies had earlier warned the school to remain closed. It still reopened.

Across the North, many state governments have shut schools again as bandits regain ground.

States Fail to Activate Safe Schools Offices

Officials working on the initiative said many states haven’t released funds or equipped their coordination centres.

States yet to launch the programme include Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

Some states donated buildings for coordination centres but left them empty. The Federal Capital Territory, Benue, Nasarawa, Katsina, Rivers and Enugu fall into this category.

Surveillance gadgets, monitoring tools and communication equipment haven’t been supplied.

Jigawa set up a fully equipped centre but hasn’t activated it.

The National Safe Schools Response and Coordination Centre confirmed that 11,550 schools have been registered on its monitoring platform.

Its commander, Emmanuel Ocheja, noted that technological upgrades are underway but require steady funding.

Parents, Students and CSOs Raise Concerns

Parent and student groups criticised the failure to launch the programme nationwide. The National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria appealed to governors to join immediately.

The National Association of Nigerian Students warned that the abandoned initiative has created dangerous gaps.

Civil society groups gave similar warnings. Reform Education Nigeria and the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education For All pointed to the long record of school attacks from Chibok to Kuriga and now Niger and Kebbi.

They urged the government to secure the 589 closed schools in the North and all 41 federal unity schools.

They added that Nigeria’s commitments under the Safe Schools Declaration mean little if classrooms remain exposed.

Kogi Raises Alarm Over Bandit Movement

Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo reported that bandit commanders recently moved into the state. He said security agencies won’t wait for attacks.

He ordered that all public activities end by 4pm until further notice and warned that event centres that violate the rule will be demolished.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Ayo Edun urged residents to stay calm, blaming widespread panic on false social media claims. Traditional rulers pledged full cooperation with security agencies.

The state government said there was no bandit threat at the Kogi State Polytechnic or any school around Lokoja, dismissing online messages that caused hours of fear across parts of the city.

FCT Police Hunt for Seven Abducted Teens

In Abuja, police launched a search for a 16-year-old boy and six girls taken from Gidan Bajimi village in Bwari Area Council.

Officers searched nearby forests but didn’t find the victims. Residents said the attackers struck around 9:53pm and overpowered local vigilantes.

The operation took place hours after the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, ordered tighter security around schools under Operation Sweep.

More Abductions Reported in Niger State

Gunmen also abducted 10 people in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State. Police confirmed the attack and started rescue efforts.

Another violent incident occurred in Kakuru community, where bandits attacked a blind resident and severed his right hand after taking his phone.