The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has announced plans to train 10,000 school principals across the country on personal security and school protection measures.
In a statement signed by NSCDC spokeswoman Babawale Afolabi on Monday, Commandant-General of the Corps Ahmed Audi announced the plan.
In light of the growing number of security threats, Audi underlined at the All Nigerian Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools annual conference the significance of bolstering the security frameworks of schools and the communities they serve.
The project, according to the CG represented by Hammed Abodunrin, Commander of the National Safe School Response Coordination Centre, intends to equip school administrators with the knowledge and self-assurance they need to properly respond to security concerns.
Assuring everyone that the NSCDC has put elaborate measures in place to guarantee the programme’s success, he emphasised the necessity of a team effort to protect schools.
According to Abodunrin, the free training will cover information management, emergency response, kid protection techniques, hostile environment awareness, personal security, and first aid.
“ANCOPSS only needs to make their members available and provide venues such as their secretariats or school auditoriums.
“Since it is practically impossible to bring 10,000 participants together at a time, any state that is ready should invite the centre and give dates for the training,” he said.
According to Abodunrin, the training would employ a “Train the Trainers” strategy, enabling principals to go back to their own schools and instruct other teachers.
In March 2024, the federal government declared that schools in Borno, Benue, Sokoto, and eleven other states were vulnerable to banditry and insurgent attacks.