Security expert urges more protection of schools, rescue of Kagara pupils

SECURITY expert, Dr Ona Ekhomu, has urged the Federal Government to adopt ‘ Makama Strategy’ to secure the release of the school children in Kagara, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.

He said with every hour that passes, the terrorists are able to exercise better control over the abductees, which might result in more suffering and casualties and eventual payment of huge ransom for their freedom.

Reacting to the abduction of dozens of children from the Government Science Secondary School, Kagara, Niger, Ekhomu, who is the president of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria ( AISSON), said it was unfortunate that the security of schools was not receiving adequate attention from the government.

He said that after the Kankara school abduction and other mass abductions in the northwest, the vulnerability of schools to attacks had become evident. He noted that education is a human right of young children, but it is up to adults and the government to create a safe environment where learning can take place.

Ekhomu said the probability of another school attack was looming. He advised that robust counter- measures should be put in place to mitigate the inevitable attacks.

Such counter- measures include the installation of air raid sirens in schools, the use of force multipliers in alerting nearby authorities about attacks, use of metal doors in school compounds and the appointment of armed school resource ( security) officers.