Connect with us

News

Stakeholders urge speedy drafting of legal framework for implementation of Safe School Declaration

Published

on

Stakeholders urge speedy drafting of legal framework for implementation of Safe School Declaration

By: Michael Mike

The call for the speedy drafting of a legal framework for the effective implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) initiatives in Nigeria that will serve as a security blueprint for the safety of students and staff of educational institutions in the country have been emphasised.

Participants at a one day interactive session on the need to draft a legal document for the policy posited that 9 year after the SSD policy was developed in 2015 in Norway, and the establishment of a national policy, the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence Free Schools to help implement the SSD, Nigeria is yet to witness any meaningful implementation of the agreement partly due to the absence of a legal framework.

They spoke at a one day ‘Roundtable Meeting with Stakeholders on the imperative for a legal framework on Safe School Declaration (SSD)’ organised by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARD C) in Lagos.

Speaking, National Network Coordinator for Wanep Nigeria, Dr. Bridget Osakwe urged the federal and state governments to increase funding for education and ensure that children and teachers are in good environment of leaning that is free from violence, molestation, from abuses, harassments of any kind.

She said “the SSD is to prepare the children, prepare the environment in order to prevent any form of violence in the school environment and to respond immediately in case of any breaches in the school and it is important that all stakeholders come together to make the whole environment conducive because education a right to the child irrespective of the sex, and for children to optimally enjoy that education.”

“They have to have a conducive environment and that environment is not just for the children alone, even for the teachers that will deliver. Everyone that will guide the children within the precinct of the school needs that conducive environment to be in their optimal skills.”

National Programme Coordinator of WARD C, Jennifer Nwokedike bemoaned the downward trend in the safety of school children affirming that government must halt the adduction of student in schools across the country.

Nwokedike said “Is Nigeria government implementing SSD, I will say yes and no. for some states implementation has started, but considering the trend in education we expect government to do more. It is ten years after the adduction of girls in Chibok, the trend indicates that we are going down the slop.”

A project consultant, Dr Ola Akintayo, explained that there are several policies in place that are geared toward effective implementation of the policy but the absence of a legal frame so far has been the Achill hill of that policy initiative.

“Since the policy has been put in place, you can see that there have been no impacts. Most people in the country are not even aware that such things are even in place in Nigeria.” He said.

Also speaking, Dr Obadina Ibrahim of the University of Lagos declared that “We must realise how imperative it is to have a legal framework. After Chibok, it’s been a lot of challenges trying to secure schools in the country.”

The UNILAG Don said “We must itemise the basic requirement any school must have to ensure that they protect the student and staff, trainings and critical engagement within communities so that they can speak up when we see suspicious activities and individuals coming to the school.

We talk issues of perimeter fencing, surveillances, panic alarms across schools and including sanctions for those complicit in attacks in schools as well as recovery processes when schools are attack. Issues of funding and infrastructures should also get attention.”

Participants at the interactive forum included traditional leaders, Civil Society Organisations the network of Civil Society on Education, the police, civil defence, members of the Lagos state house of assembly, officials of ministry of education, the school base management boards, head teachers association and the Parent Teachers Association among other.

The Safe Schools Declaration outlines a set of commitments to strengthen the protection of education from attack and restrict use of schools and universities for military purposes and seeks to ensure the continuity of safe education during armed conflict.

It was opened for countries to endorse at the First International Conference on Safe Schools in Oslo, Norway, in May 2015 while in October 2021; Nigeria hosted the Fourth International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration in Abuja.

Stakeholders urge speedy drafting of legal framework for implementation of Safe School Declaration

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Clash erupts between police, horse riders near Bayero University Kano

Published

on

Clash erupts between police, horse riders near Bayero University Kano

By: Zagazola Makama

A violent clash broke out on Saturday between a group of horse riders and personnel of the Nigerian Police Force in the Rimin Gata area, opposite Bayero University Kano (New Site).

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident, which occurred at about 4:50 p.m., on Sunday involved a surveillance team from the Rijiyar Zaki Division of the Kano State Police Command.

It was gathered that the confrontation followed a tip-off received by the police, alerting them to an unauthorised horse race taking place in the area.

The informant had reportedly warned that the race could degenerate into criminal activity, including phone snatching and possible fatalities.

Acting swiftly on the intelligence, the surveillance team moved to the location to disperse the riders, which led to resistance and a physical altercation.

Eyewitnesses said the scene became tense as officers attempted to arrest some of the horse riders, who in turn protested what they described as heavy-handedness by the police.

Sources said normalcy was later restored, and no fatalities were recorded. However, it remains unclear if any arrests were made.

The Kano State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

Clash erupts between police, horse riders near Bayero University Kano

Continue Reading

News

Whistleblower recounts ordeal after exposing drug trafficker in Kano

Published

on

Whistleblower recounts ordeal after exposing drug trafficker in Kano

By: Zagazola Makama

A young whistleblower has come forward with a detailed account of alleged harassment, detention, and intimidation he faced after exposing a suspected drug trafficker, Sulaiman Dan Wawu, in Kano State.

The incident, which began in December 2022, involved multiple arrests, prolonged court appearances, and alleged violations of his fundamental rights, despite his role in alerting the public to the arrest of Dan Wawu with 500 cartons of Tramadol.

The whistleblower, who spoke under anonymity due to safety concerns, said the situation began after he posted news of Dan Wawu’s arrest on TikTok – a post that gained over 41,000 views. The viral post, which followed a similar disclosure by Police Spokesman SP Abdullahi Kiyawa on Facebook, allegedly provoked backlash from the suspect and his associates.

“Though I had no personal connection to Dan Wawu, the day after I posted the video, a man named Abba Abdullahi came to my area in Kwankwaso, claiming to be from the CID. He accused me of buying a stolen phone and insisted I follow him to Farm Center,” the whistleblower said.

“Instead of Farm Center, I was taken to the Rapid Response Team (RRT) cell, where I spent three days. Each day, Dan Wawu, his wife, and another associate, Abdullahi Amdaz, came to see me. I was tortured in their presence. They claimed I had defamed them on TikTok.”

After being taken before a magistrate at the PRP Court under Judge Nura Yusuf Ahmad, the complainant was returned to the CID on remand. He later appeared in court where the formal charge was read: defamation and public misinformation for stating that “Dan Wawu was a drug trafficker” on social media.

The prosecution alleged that over 41,000 people had viewed the TikTok video and that radio stations had also aired the case. The suspect’s wife reportedly gave a media interview accusing the whistleblower of damaging her husband’s reputation.

The judge remanded the whistleblower to prison for five days before he was granted bail under six strict conditions, including the provision of two civil servants of Grade Level 12 or above, endorsement by a ward head, and an undertaking to refrain from using social media or any media platform.

Later, the whistleblower alleged further intimidation. “Abba Abdullahi, who earlier arrested me, called me and my elder brother outside court. He video-called Dan Wawu, who was then in Qatar, and forced me to delete two TikTok accounts with 87,000 and 19,000 followers,” he said.

He claimed three of his SIM cards were seized – the ones linked to his TikTok and email accounts – and was warned against SIM swapping or returning to social media.

Despite this, the trial dragged on for 11 to 13 months. “Even though the court was aware that Dan Wawu had been arrested with drugs, he and his wife never showed up in court,” he said.

One day, he was re-arrested by Abba Abdullahi on the claim that he had violated bail conditions. He was detained at CID for two days before being transferred to prison, where he spent 38 days during Ramadan in 2023, eventually regaining his freedom on the 29th day of fasting.

At the peak of the trial, he was reportedly pressured by the prosecutor, Aliyu Abideen, to swear an oath in court to prove his innocence. He rejected the condition, citing Islamic jurisprudence, which limits such oaths to civil or financial disputes – not criminal cases involving narcotics.

“In Maliki jurisprudence, oaths are only valid in financial matters, not cases involving someone caught with illegal drugs,” he said, quoting a Maliki legal verse.

Eventually, after the prosecution failed to present evidence or secure testimony from Dan Wawu, the case lost momentum. Meanwhile, Dan Wawu, who was arrested and arraigned at the Federal High Court on drug trafficking charges, reportedly fled with his wife and has since been at large.

“Now the entire world, not just 41,000 people, knows he was caught with drugs. His disgrace is from God. He spent nearly 50 days in prison before escaping,” the whistleblower said.

Whistleblower recounts ordeal after exposing drug trafficker in Kano

Continue Reading

News

Army, DSS-backed hybrid forces kill 45 bandits in Niger gun battle

Published

on

Army, DSS-backed hybrid forces kill 45 bandits in Niger gun battle

By: Zagazola Makama

The troops of the Nigerian Army and hybrid forces, with critical intelligence support from the Department of State Services (DSS), have neutralised no fewer than 45 bandits during a fierce gunfight in Iburu village, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, in what appears to be a major success in Nigeria’s ongoing counter-terrorism efforts,

Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the joint operation was launched on Friday evening following intelligence that a large number of terrorists riding on motorcycles were advancing to launch coordinated attacks on Iburu and neighbouring communities.

According to the sources, the DSS intercepted early signals of the planned movement and quickly passed the alert to troops who had been on standby in the general area.

“The terrorists were said to have split into smaller columns, attempting to encircle the village under the cover of dusk, but were ambushed by the troops who engaged them in a sustained firefight that lasted several hours,” one source said.

The troops who returned to the scene after the exchange of gunfire confirmed counting at least 40 dead bodies of the bandits, while dozens of motorcycles used by the attackers were reportedly destroyed.

Two members of the hybrid forces fighting alongside the troops paid the supreme price, while four others were evacuated with serious gunshot wounds and are currently receiving treatment at a public hospital in Minna, the state capital.

Friday’s clash is the latest in a series of counter-offensives launched by security forces to decimate terrorists and secure communities across Niger State, especially in the volatile Shiroro-Munya axis which has become a stronghold for various criminal groups.

In April, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Bashir Adeniyi, raised the alarm over escalating terrorist activity around the Babanna border area of Niger State.

Adeniyi had revealed that Customs officers narrowly escaped an ambush by terrorists after intercepting 500 jerrycans of petrol allegedly being smuggled to insurgents operating within the state and across the border.

Friday’s success point to the importance of synergy between intelligence services and ground forces in disrupting terrorist logistics and operational movements across the North Central region.

The proactive engagement by DSS, coupled with swift tactical response by the military, is beginning to shift the operational advantage in favour of state forces.

Army, DSS-backed hybrid forces kill 45 bandits in Niger gun battle

Continue Reading

Trending

Verified by MonsterInsights