DESPITE more than N145 billion allocated to the Safe Schools Initiative between 2023 and 2026, mass abductions and attacks on schools continue to plague communities across Nigeria, exposing deep flaws in the implementation of one of the country’s most ambitious security programmes.
In this weekend feature, News Point Nigeria dissects the controversy surrounding the initiative, examines allegations of fund diversion and weak implementation, and investigates why thousands of schools remain vulnerable despite years of promises, international partnerships and massive financial commitments.
What happened to the $30 million, estimated at about N144 billion, contributed by the Nigerian government in collaboration with international partners to secure schools against attacks and abductions? That question has become increasingly urgent amid a fresh wave of kidnappings and deadly assaults on educational institutions across the country.
The Safe Schools Initiative (SSI), launched in 2014 following the abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, was designed to protect students, teachers and learning facilities from insecurity. The programme was expected to guarantee that Nigerian children could pursue their education in safe and secure environments.
More than a decade after its launch, however, the initiative remains largely ineffective in many parts of the country. Investigations indicate that implementation failures, a lack of transparency, shifting priorities and delayed fortification projects have left thousands of schools exposed to attacks.
Under Section 88(2) of the 1999 Constitution, the Senate possesses the authority to conduct oversight functions on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The constitutional provision empowers lawmakers to ensure public institutions do not short-change Nigerians in service delivery and that public funds are spent in accordance with the law.
Against this backdrop, the Senate in December 2025 launched an investigation into the alleged failure of the $30 million Safe Schools Initiative.
The probe was prompted by mounting concerns over the increasing frequency of terrorist attacks on schools despite the programme’s enormous budget.
The Senate ad hoc committee was mandated to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the funds—how much was received, how the money was spent, who benefited from the allocations and whether the resources were used for their intended purpose.
Investigators are particularly interested in allegations that substantial portions of previous allocations were diverted to consultancies and unrelated police operations while schools remained without basic protection.
According to findings, approximately 42,000 schools across Nigeria still lack minimum security infrastructure, including perimeter fencing, surveillance systems and rapid response mechanisms.
At the time the Senate committee was inaugurated, the abduction of 25 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, and more than 200 pupils from St. Mary Catholic School in Niger State had heightened public anxiety.
Former Senate President and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence, Senator Ahmad Lawan, who sponsored the motion calling for the investigation, stressed the need for accountability.
“Since schools are still not safe, we must investigate the funds released and how they were utilised,” he said. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu also expressed outrage over the programme’s apparent failure. “We will track every naira and every dollar allocated to the Safe Schools Initiative,” he declared.
“Idling while our schools remain unsafe, despite enormous investment and global support, is unacceptable. Nigerians deserve to know why.”
Experts argue that the problem lies not in the absence of funding but in the failure to implement practical measures on the ground.
Although billions of naira have been earmarked for school security, many targeted institutions remain without perimeter fencing, trained guards, surveillance systems or emergency communication channels.
Dr Dideolu Adekogbe, an education expert and Lead Consultant at Flourish-Gate Global Consult, believes the initiative can still succeed if implemented properly. “The initiative represents a multi-stakeholder response designed to protect education and learners during conflict,” she told The Liberalist.
“To safeguard schools, the programme must practically secure premises and build community early-warning systems.”
Dr Adekogbe urged the government to modernise security measures by deploying surveillance drones to monitor remote schools and installing solar-powered CCTV cameras equipped with emergency panic buttons. She also recommended that trained security personnel be stationed in schools with competitive remuneration packages to guarantee professionalism and commitment.
In particularly dangerous areas, she suggested merging small, isolated schools into fewer but heavily fortified institutions protected by tall perimeter walls and advanced monitoring systems.
The education expert warned that failure to act decisively would have devastating consequences. “Learning will collapse, enrolment will drop, and parents will withdraw their children, especially girls, from classrooms because these attacks create deep-seated fear,” she warned.
“Worse still, a teacher exodus will trigger a severe recruitment crisis because no qualified educator will work where their life is constantly at risk.”
The dangers highlighted by experts became painfully real on May 15 this year.
Gunmen dressed in military uniforms reportedly rode into communities in Oyo State on motorcycles and attacked local schools.
Residents initially paid little attention to the unfamiliar faces because they did not immediately recognise the danger.
Within minutes, however, the attackers began firing sporadically and stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Orire Local Government Area.
Dozens of pupils and teachers were abducted, while one teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was later beheaded in captivity.
The captives eventually regained their freedom after spending 56 days in the forest. Security forces launched extensive rescue operations, although some officers reportedly lost their lives during the mission.
The attack sparked outrage nationwide.
The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in Oyo State openly declared that teachers could not continue to work under such dangerous conditions.
The school security crisis intensified on July 15 when bandits invaded Government Secondary School, Opada-Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The attackers abducted the school principal, a National Examinations Council (NECO) supervisor and four students while examinations were in progress.
Residents said heavily armed gunmen stormed the community, firing into the air before invading the school premises. Community leader Sunday Alkali recalled that residents had been relaxing under trees when the attackers appeared. “The gunmen seemed surprised to see many people outside at that time of the day and initially retreated,” he said.
“They later returned, shooting indiscriminately, forcing everyone to flee for safety.” According to another resident, the community initially did not understand the attackers’ intentions.
“After the shooting stopped, some of us went to the school and found examination papers scattered across classrooms and the school premises,” the resident said.
The victims were later identified as principal Nyada Daniel, NECO supervisor Solomon Audu and four students.
Residents noted that the number of abductees could have been significantly higher had the attack coincided with examinations in core subjects such as English Language and Mathematics. The kidnappers later contacted relatives, demanding huge sums of money.
The Dekina attack came barely a month after another devastating assault in Kogi State.
On June 10, bandits invaded Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu, in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area during the West African Senior School Certificate Examination. Three people, including Vice Principal Gani Anifowose, were killed, while students and residents were reportedly abducted.
According to eyewitnesses, approximately 40 motorcycles carrying heavily armed bandits descended on the community. The Kogi State Police Command later confirmed the deaths of Ganiyu Anifowose, Sunday Jacob Alhassan, 70, and six-year-old Sunday Ayele.
Police spokesperson ASP Saliu Oyiza said officers immediately mobilised tactical units and the Police Mobile Force to confront the attackers.
In Borno State, terrorists have continued to target educational institutions.
On June 15, gunmen attacked Kautikari village in Chibok Local Government Area, killing one person and setting ablaze a primary school and a secondary school. Education Secretary Malam Kyari confirmed that one block containing five classrooms and an office at Kautikari Junior Secondary School was destroyed.
“There was no casualty inside the schools, but residents fled into the bush for safety,” a security source said.
The attack came barely a month after insurgents abducted more than 40 students from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area. Eyewitnesses said the terrorists struck shortly after soldiers on routine patrol had left the area.
“The terrorists arrived on motorcycles and abducted an unspecified number of students,” one resident recalled.
Although some students and a teacher were later released, several victims remain unaccounted for.
In Niger State, fear turned into anger on June 26 after bandits allegedly set ablaze Central Primary School in Dekara town despite collecting a N10 million levy from local communities.
Residents said the money had been raised after the bandits threatened attacks if the demand was not met.
“The bandits imposed a N10 million levy on communities in the district,” a resident said. The money was paid because they threatened to attack us if we failed to comply.
“But despite receiving the money, they still attacked the district headquarters and burnt down the primary school.”
The attack was reportedly launched from the Kainji Lake National Park area.
Not every attack ended in tragedy.
On April 28, police rescued 17 pupils abducted from Daarul Kitab School in Lokoja, Kogi State. Gunmen had stormed the Islamic school and orphanage under the cover of darkness, abducting 26 people, including pupils and two wives of the proprietor.
The state police command said a coordinated operation involving multiple security agencies secured the release of many victims.
However, several abductees remained in captivity. Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, described the attack as unfortunate and avoidable.
Education remains one of the most powerful tools for national development.
Schools produce professionals, innovators and future leaders. Yet education cannot thrive in environments where children and teachers fear for their lives.
The growing wave of school abductions has created a climate of anxiety across Nigeria. Parents worry every morning when their children leave for school.
Teachers, whose duty is to nurture young minds, now grapple with concerns about their own safety. The consequences extend far beyond individual tragedies.
School attendance declines. Academic performance suffers. Communities lose faith in public education. Insecurity fuels illiteracy, weakens the workforce and undermines national development.
Analysts insist that protecting schools must become a national security priority.
Security around schools must be strengthened, intelligence gathering improved and criminal networks dismantled.
At the same time, experts argue that the responsibility cannot rest solely with government agencies.
Parents, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups and local organisations must collaborate with security agencies to identify threats before they escalate. Community vigilance, they argue, remains one of the most effective weapons against insecurity.
Reacting to the latest attacks, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accused the federal government of abandoning its constitutional responsibility.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the situation as tragic and disgraceful.
“It further proves that the Nigerian state has abdicated its most fundamental responsibility, which is the protection of life, learning and the future of its children,” he said.
“An examination hall should be a sanctuary of hope, not a crime scene. A school principal should be preparing students for the future, not negotiating with kidnappers. A NECO official should be supervising examinations, not struggling for survival in the hands of bandits.”
According to him, the latest attacks are not isolated incidents but evidence of a dangerous national trend.
He argued that rising examination fees, neglected schools and inadequate security measures have sent a troubling message.
“First, they price poor children out of classrooms. Then they fail to protect those who remain in school,” he said.
“This is a double assault on the future of Nigeria. One is economic exclusion; the other is violent intimidation. Together, they amount to a systematic destruction of the dreams of an entire generation.”
As the Senate investigation continues and fresh attacks occur, one question remains unanswered: how did a programme established to make schools safe become another symbol of unfulfilled promises?
Until that question is answered and until concrete action replaces rhetoric—millions of Nigerian children will continue to enter classrooms with uncertainty, while parents wait anxiously for them to return home.