Stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector have called for a comprehensive, multi-layered approach to school safety, arguing that protecting pupils and teachers requires more than merely deploying police officers and security personnel.

They noted that responsibility for safe learning environments must be shared across governments, school administrators, teachers, parents, host communities, and technology providers.

They stated this at the fourth Michael Alogba Olukoya yearly lecture and award series organised by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Lagos State Wing.

The event drew education officials, security chiefs, union leaders, and civil society actors under the theme: ‘School safety: Stakeholders’ strategies and inputs.’

Declaring the theme as timely, the Lagos State NUT Chairman, Hassan Akintoye, said learning cannot flourish in an atmosphere defined by fear, violence and uncertainty.

He noted that schools are meant to be spaces for knowledge acquisition, creativity and character formation, not places where children and teachers contend with bullying, abuse, drug-related activities and other security threats.

“A safe school is one where every child feels protected. A safe school is one where teachers can discharge their duties without intimidation or fear. A safe school is one where parents confidently release their children every morning, knowing they will return home safely,” Akintoye said.

He urged governments at all levels to prioritise safety through deliberate investments in infrastructure.

These include perimeter fencing for schools, functional security systems, clear emergency response mechanisms, and policies that institutionalise secure learning environments.

He also tasked teachers on the need to be alert to early warning signs of abuse, bullying, violence and emotional distress among learners.

To parents, he appealed for a stronger moral upbringing at home and consistent communication with schools to bridge gaps in monitoring students’ wellbeing.

Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Finance and Administration, Anthony Okonkwo, said the era of treating school safety as the exclusive duty of security agencies is over.

He noted that emerging threats to educational institutions require an integrated security architecture that brings together law enforcement, school management, communities and technology firms.

Okonkwo explained that the Nigeria Police Force has developed a Safe School Model that combines specialised school protection squads, intelligence gathering, risk assessment and community-oriented policing to strengthen security around schools.

He said the model is designed to move beyond reaction to incidents and towards prevention through early detection and collaboration.

He called for the adoption of international best practices, such as the Safe Schools Declaration and Crime Prevention through Environmental Design.

These frameworks, he said, emphasise improving surveillance, regulating access to school premises, and designing school environments in ways that naturally deter crime and security breaches.

The police commissioner recommended specific tools for schools, including the installation of surveillance cameras, digital attendance systems to track learners, panic buttons directly linked to police command centres, and regular emergency drills to test preparedness.

He also stressed the need for stronger collaboration between school authorities, security agencies, parent-teacher associations and host communities.

To institutionalise these efforts, Okonkwo advocated the establishment of school community security committees in every school locality, as well as a safe school trust fund to finance security infrastructure, with special attention to under-resourced public schools that lack basic protective facilities.

Also speaking at the lecture, the Lagos State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Adedotun Keshinro, represented by the Corps Public Relations Officer, Oluwaseun Abolurin, warned that schools across the country have increasingly become targets of kidnapping, violent attacks, cultism, bullying, arson and terrorism.

He said while Lagos currently enjoys relative peace compared to other states, stakeholders must not become complacent.

“Prevention is cheaper than a cure. The goal is to equip school managers with the tools to identify, assess and manage threats before they become tragedies,” Keshinro said.

He described school threat assessment as a proactive strategy to identify students or situations that may pose security risks before violence occurs.

While acknowledging that security agencies can respond to emergencies, Keshinro maintained that school management bears the greater responsibility for prevention through proper planning, vigilance and day-to-day monitoring.

He outlined seven measures to strengthen school security: the establishment of threat assessment teams in every school; regular vulnerability audits of school premises; creation of confidential reporting channels for students and staff; training teachers to recognise behavioural warning signs; development of action plans for identified threats; routine emergency drills conducted with security agencies; and proper documentation and periodic review of security incidents.

Speakers at the lecture agreed that sustainable school safety will depend on moving beyond policing to build systems in which government policy, community vigilance, teacher training, parental involvement, and technology work together to protect every child in school.