Protecting Schools from Terrorist Attacks

EDGY OPTIMIST By Obinna Chima

Each school day in Nigeria begins with hope. A mother rises before dawn to prepare her child, and a father sacrifices part of his income to pay school fees because he believes education offers a pathway out of poverty.

Children leave their homes carrying school bags, notebooks and dreams of a better future. Yet, in some parts of Nigeria today, that simple journey to school has become a frightening gamble.

This has been the case in recent times. For instance, the Iluke Bunu community in Kogi State was greeted with tension and grief this week when gunmen killed the Vice Principal of Government Secondary School, Iluke, and a six‑year‑old child.

These attacks come as more than 80 children abducted in separate attacks on schools in Borno and Oyo states remain missing. What was once considered a regional problem has now become a national challenge.

The problem began with the attack on Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014, when Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls. The trend has spread. In February 2018, 110 schoolgirls were abducted from the Government Girls Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State; in December 2020, hundreds of students were abducted from a secondary school in Kankara, Katsina State; in 2021, students were kidnapped from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Afaka, Kaduna State, and other attacks occurred in Kagara, Jangebe and Tegina. The nightmare continued in March 2024 when armed men stormed schools in Kuriga, Kaduna State, abducting nearly 300 pupils and students during morning assembly.

In November 2025, gunmen attacked a girls’ secondary school in Kebbi State, killing a vice principal and abducting 25 students from their hostel. Days later, more than 300 students and teachers were kidnapped from St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State, one of the largest school abductions in recent Nigerian history.

Unfortunately, the threat has not diminished in 2026. These repeated incidents have disrupted daily life and had lasting impacts on education.

Attacks on educational institutions have emerged as one of the most critical challenges affecting human capital formation in the country.

The impact of violent crime and abduction on education is devastating and extends beyond the immediate physical consequences of the attacks. Fear and uncertainty caused by terrorism affect families’ decisions to send their children to school.

Gunmen target schools because they are comparatively soft targets and offer potential for mass casualties. Schools are more easily accessible because they are typically open to the public.

In many Nigerian communities, school enrolment has dropped significantly as parents prefer to keep their children at home rather than risk losing them to kidnappers.

Many of these attacks are preventable. Many Nigerian schools, especially in rural communities, lack perimeter fencing, surveillance systems, trained security personnel and emergency response plans. Some schools operate with only a gateman who lacks the training and equipment to respond to an armed attack. Others are located in isolated areas where security agencies may take hours to arrive after distress calls.

Recent discussions on how to address this issue have highlighted Nigeria’s Safe Schools Initiative, established in 2014. The initiative raises accountability concerns about the extent to which funds estimated at $10 million, earmarked under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari for school protection, have translated into safer learning environments, particularly in vulnerable communities.

Minister of Education Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa must partner with state governments to stabilise learning environments, restore public confidence in the education system and ensure that no child is left behind.

In addition, the federal government must implement its Smart School Protection Strategy, launched a few months ago, to strengthen security across schools nationwide through renewed collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

Alausa described school protection as a “non‑negotiable priority,” announcing the creation of a dedicated Department of Safe School Initiative to coordinate policy implementation, monitoring and inter‑agency collaboration, with the NSCDC serving as the lead operational agency.

Key components of the strategy include the deployment of smart security solutions such as emergency panic alert systems, rapid response mechanisms and enhanced command‑and‑control centres designed to enable intelligence‑driven interventions.

Despite these policy measures, stakeholders say school attacks have continued unabated, raising questions about implementation and enforcement.

Schools in high‑risk areas must have perimeter fencing, controlled entry points and alarm systems. Solar‑powered lighting and surveillance cameras are needed in areas without reliable power supply. Dormitories should also be secured.

The government must strengthen community‑based security networks. In many rural communities, residents are often the first to notice suspicious movements. Traditional rulers, vigilante groups and community leaders must be involved in this arrangement where they are not already.

Teachers and school administrators must receive security awareness training to identify suspicious behaviour, recognise early warning signs and respond appropriately during emergencies. Periodic drills should be conducted so that staff and students can understand evacuation procedures and emergency protocols.

Educational and security policies should be integrated to address not only immediate threats but also to mitigate the long‑term effects of terrorism on education and mental health. Mental health is often overlooked in policy discussions. Given the significant psychological impact of terrorism exposure on children and families, there is a need to integrate mental health support into educational and health services in schools.

International support is required to disrupt and cut off the funding sources of these gunmen and terrorist groups, while local government systems must be empowered and strengthened to address the high level of rural poverty in the country.

At this point, I must commend the Department of State Services, which has continuously intensified its aggressive pursuit and prosecution of high‑profile terrorism suspects and violent criminals in Nigeria. Recent judicial actions, including mass trials and high‑risk operations, have led to significant convictions and ongoing trials.

Finally, the protection of schools must be viewed as a national security issue, an economic issue and a moral issue because a country that cannot guarantee the safety of its children cannot confidently speak about its future. Every parent should be able to send a child to school without fear, and every teacher should be able to teach without looking over their shoulder.