Expert urges schools to protect students against suicide bombers

The President of Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON) Dr. Ekhomu has said that in the last 90 days, three or more tertiary institutions had been attacked in Kano State.

Ekhomu, who was reacting to the double suicide terrorist attacks that occurred at the Federal College of Education Kano on September 17^th, 2014, resulting in the death of 17 persons and the injury of 35 others,

he said it was the responsibility of the school and security authorities to protect young men and women in various schools throughout the country in order to keep them safe from terrorist attacks.

The security expert said that there was a social contract between parents and the school authorities which mandates school authorities to keep students safe while on campus. “Unfortunately, the schools are failing in this duty and parents are not aware of their rights to seek redress for the negligent deaths of their kids” he added.

He deplored the reactive posture of the school authorities and security agencies in Kano State.

His words: “Those young men and women deserved to live, but their dreams have been terminated permanently. It is shameful that Boko Haram had succeeded in bringing primary secondary and tertiary education to a halt in Borno, Yobe and parts of Adamawa Sates. The apparent strategy of the terrorists now is to force school closures in Kano, Bauchi and Gombe States.  The terrorists would intensify attacks in the border states of Kano, Jigawa, Gombe and Bauchi States in order to achieve their aim of taking Nigeria back to the ‘stone age’.”

Ekhomu said that the recent high criticality suicide attacks that occurred at the School of Hygiene Kano and Kano Polytechnic were clear pointers to the fact that BH was targeting school students. He said that since success begets success, BH fighters were likely to step up attacks on students, schools and school officials such as teachers, lecturers and principals.

He said that a threat assessment of schools in Kano State shows that they have been targeted. “It therefore behooves the school authorities to fund urgent security solutions,” said Ekhomu.

 He described as insensitive, statements made to the effect that students should be security conscious.

He said: “Students should be trained to recognize terrorist attack pre-incident indicators (TAPIs). Some school attack mitigation measures include deployment of armed security personnel on school campuses, the use of closed circuit television systems, security lockdown hardware in classrooms, lecture theatre and hostels/dormitories. The installation of alarm systems, air raid sirens in schools, training and deployment of members of the student population in detecting potential suicide agents, frequent emergency drills in schools and employment of certified professionals to head school security programs. It is far cheaper to prevent or defend against school attacks than to negligently allow the attacks to occur in the first place.”

Ekhomu also called for the immediate dismissal of the services of the security chiefs in the schools recently attacked and the employment of competent and credentialed chief security officers who can think out of the box in order to adequately protect student populations in schools throughout the country.