Abductions: Stakeholders demand Safe Schools funds audit, panic alarm system

Women Empowerment and Legal Aid (WELA) has called for a comprehensive audit of funds designated for the Safe Schools Initiative, expressing deep concern over the program's effectiveness more than a decade after its inception. The group highlighted the recurring attacks on schools and the abduction of students, stating that Nigerians deserve a clear account of how funds meant for school security have been used.

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Recent incidents involving the abduction of schoolchildren have once again brought national attention to the vulnerability of our schools and the frightening reality that many Nigerian parents still send their children to school uncertain whether they will return home safely.

The Safe Schools Initiative was established in 2014 by the Nigerian Federal Government, in partnership with private sector stakeholders and international organizations, following the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok by Boko Haram. Its primary goal was to enhance security within educational institutions, protect students and teachers, and ensure uninterrupted access to education, particularly in regions prone to conflict.

WELA pointed out that despite substantial financial commitments over the years, schoolchildren remain highly vulnerable to attacks and kidnappings. The organization noted that public reports indicate over 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped and approximately 180 educational facilities attacked since 2014. Some estimates suggest more than 2,000 students have been abducted in the past decade, leading to the closure of hundreds of schools due to insecurity.

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Twelve years have now passed since the launch of the Safe Schools Initiative. The question Nigerians are entitled to ask is simple: what has been achieved?

While acknowledging Nigeria's complex security challenges, WELA stressed that public officials must be held accountable for the resources allocated to protecting schoolchildren. The group asserted that when public funds are committed to child protection, citizens have a right to know how these funds were utilized, what projects were completed, what outcomes were achieved, and what lessons were learned.

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Where public funds have been committed in the name of protecting children, the public has a right to know how those funds have been utilised, what projects have been executed, what outcomes have been achieved, and what lessons have been learnt.