In response to the escalating threat of attacks on schools nationwide, the National Coordinator of the Financing Safe Schools Initiative, Mrs. Halima Iliya, has unveiled a proactive strategy to enlist the support of hunters and vigilantes in intelligence gathering efforts. In an exclusive interview with NAN in Abuja, Mrs. Iliya shared insights into the initiative’s comprehensive approach aimed at enhancing community engagement and raising awareness among students, parents, and educators.

The initiative’s plan includes targeted training programs for hunters, vigilantes, and volunteers in states with established local security groups. For regions lacking registered vigilante networks, the initiative seeks to mobilize youths to actively participate in community defense and protection efforts.

“Youths will volunteer to protect their communities because we cannot achieve anything within a community without their involvement. We will bring them to the security architecture for them to defend and protect their communities in the areas of intelligence gathering, prevention and detection deterrent capabilities,” – Iliya

Mrs. Iliya stressed the pivotal role of community involvement, emphasizing the importance of youths in bolstering intelligence gathering, prevention, and detection capabilities.

To facilitate effective communication and outreach initiatives, the initiative will collaborate with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), leveraging its extensive grassroots presence across all local government areas. Training materials will be developed and translated into local dialects to ensure seamless communication and engagement with communities at the grassroots level.

Scheduled to commence in the second quarter of the year, the initiative’s aggressive community engagement and sensitization programs aim to foster a culture of vigilance and collective security consciousness. Mrs. Iliya underscored the successful completion of the second phase of the safe schools national plan, which included comprehensive training sessions for personnel from various security agencies on best practices for ensuring safety within school environments.

Furthermore, all states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have been called upon to provide vital information regarding the most vulnerable schools within their jurisdictions.

“We are done with the second phase of the implementation of the safe schools national plan where all security agencies involved have trained their personnel on safe schooling which has been streamed into their operations. We have also written to all states, including the FCT, to furnish us with information on the most at-risk schools in the three senatorial zones and one tertiary institution.

We want states to take ownership, then we tailor the intervention towards this as these are the ways to make a significant impact,” she said.