The Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, says it is set to develop a comprehensive security plan to tighten security of tertiary institutions nationwide.
The Board Chairman, Aminu Masari, at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop aimed at the development of a security grand plan for tertiary institutions in Abuja on Tuesday, outlined the various threats faced by tertiary institutions, including banditry, kidnapping, and cyber intrusion.
He said the plan aimed to enhance threat prevention, detection and response capabilities includes various aspects of campus security, including intelligence gathering and emergency response mechanisms.
He canvassed shared responsibility of campus security among government, security agencies, administrators, students, staff, and communities.
He described the workshop as a critical national document that would shape campus security policies and operations.
“What we begin here today is not merely another conference. It is a foundational step in developing a comprehensive, forward looking security grand plan for tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
“This grand plan is expected to establish a security of time framework for all time-sharing institutions to transcend institutional capacity for threat prevention, detection, mitigation and response. “It is to promote intelligence led security operations and initiative-taking risk management, protect students, staff, facilities, infrastructure and intellectual assets.
Also Read: Senate probes multi-billion-dollar Safe School Initiative
“We intend to deepen collaboration between institutions, security agencies and host communities institutionalised emergency preparedness, crisis management and business continuity protocols and integrate modern, physical and digital security technologies into campus operation,” he said.
The Executive Secretary, TETFund, Sonny Echono said some campuses were porous making them attractive targets for criminals.
Echon recalled a previous mapping exercise to identify high-risk areas and establish emergency response mechanisms.
He said there was the need to interface with various agencies and units in case of a security breach and ensuring clear communication channels.
He also stressed the importance of having clear communication channels to alert and respond to security breaches, involving agencies like the military, police, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
“We need to sensitise each one of you that this risk is real. There are criminal elements who want to invade our campuses because they provide a particular attraction because of massive collection of vulnerable people.
“This is not helped by the fact that some of our institutions are so porous they can easily be invaded.,” he said. NAN
