DHQ Unveils Guidelines For Safe School Initiative.

Defence Headquarters has launched its Standard Operating Procedure for the Safe School Initiative.

The Safe School Initiative was launched in 2014 after the abduction of about 300 school girls from Chibok, Borno State, as part of efforts to ensure that children in conflict areas or affected by insecurity continue with their education, and the initiative is largely implemented by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps with the support of other security agencies.

The launch of the SOP for the military personnel that would be involved in the initiative was coming after abductions of school children in Kaduna, where 287 pupils were kidnapped and 15 Tsangaya students in Sokoto State.

Speaking at the launch of the SOP, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, said the SOP would provide necessary guidelines for members of the Armed Forces to implement the Safe Schools Initiative within the confines of international and national laws, and called on the stakeholders to work together to ensure school children are safe in school.

Delivering the keynote address, Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (retd.) said, the success of the initiative depends on the collective responsibility of stakeholders and citizens by taking ownership and providing intelligence to security agencies, and the move reflects the Armed Forces’ collective commitment to upholding the sanctity of education and creating a conducive environment for teaching and learning to thrive.