School kidnappings have assumed the frightening dimensions of a strategic assault on Nigeria’s future, with retired military commanders, security professionals and public affairs analysts warning that the country’s response can no longer remain business as usual if its classrooms are to be rescued from the grip of criminal gangs.
The experts, who spoke at the maiden edition of a new discourse platform, Boiling Point Extra, themed “Securing the Classroom: Combating School Kidnappings in Nigeria,” were unanimous that repeated abductions of pupils and students expose not only intelligence gaps but also deeper shortcomings in national security planning, political will and inter-agency coordination.
They argued that the persistence of school kidnappings demands a comprehensive review of the nation’s anti-kidnapping architecture, with greater emphasis on intelligence gathering, proactive operations, technology, community participation and stronger political commitment.
The experts, in their verdict, rattled the federal government, saying, “Nigeria’s military is fighting the terror war with wrong strategy.”
Leading the charge was Col. Lawrence Owosheni, rtd, former Deputy Commandant of the Nigerian Army School of Signals, Lagos, who warned that many school abductions had evolved beyond ordinary ransom-seeking criminality into dangerous instruments capable of undermining state authority.
According to him, while some kidnappings are financially motivated, others bear the characteristics of politically and ideologically driven campaigns designed to instil fear, weaken public confidence in government and gradually make the country difficult to govern.
Owosheni lamented what he described as the increasing confidence with which kidnappers now operate, wondering why criminal gangs could hold victims in captivity for weeks and months without decisive security intervention.
He expressed concern over the prolonged captivity of school children in some parts of the country, arguing that every additional day spent in kidnappers’ camps inflicts psychological trauma on families while steadily eroding public confidence in the state’s ability to protect its citizens.
The retired army officer maintained that the nation must begin to treat attacks on schools not merely as isolated criminal incidents but as threats to Nigeria’s long-term stability and development.
Retired Assistant Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mrs. Rachael Awosusi, traced part of the challenge to what she described as blurred institutional responsibilities within the nation’s security architecture.
Awosusi observed that the military, traditionally regarded as the nation’s last line of defence, had increasingly been saddled with responsibilities that ought to be addressed through effective policing, intelligence gathering and internal security operations.
She stressed the need for clearer operational boundaries among the military, police and paramilitary agencies, arguing that better coordination, intelligence sharing and proactive deployment would significantly strengthen the country’s response to school kidnappings.
She also lamented the apparent absence of visible security presence around many vulnerable communities and schools, warning that delayed intervention often emboldened criminal groups.
Offering a strategic perspective, Strategy and Development Consultant, Mr. Yinka Quadri contended that Nigeria’s security crisis was fundamentally one of strategy and governance rather than capacity.
According to him, the country’s armed forces and security agencies possess the professional competence required to confront criminal elements but are often constrained by weak strategic direction, inadequate coordination and inconsistent political leadership.
Quadri argued that no nation defeated complex security threats through military force alone, insisting that intelligence, coherent national planning, institutional synergy and sustained political resolve must drive any successful campaign against kidnappers.
Quadri further maintained that unless the underlying strategic deficiencies were honestly confronted, security gains would remain temporary while criminal networks continue to adapt and evolve.
Veteran journalist, Mr. Yemi Akintunde challenged both government and the media to sustain public attention on the safety of schools, warning against treating kidnappings as routine news events that quickly fade from national discourse.
He urged journalists, civil society organisations and public institutions to work together in keeping pressure on policymakers until concrete measures are taken to guarantee the safety of pupils, students and teachers across the country.
Bringing the discourse to a close on behalf of the keynote speaker, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Prof. Saka Matemilola, retired Navy Commodore, Prof. Kunle Olawunmi called for a decisive national reset in the fight against insecurity.
He stressed that securing Nigeria’s classrooms required far more than reactive responses, advocating intelligence-led operations, improved surveillance technology, stronger collaboration among security agencies, active community participation and unwavering political commitment.
Olawunmi warned that every successful attack on a school strikes directly at the nation’s future by denying children the safe learning environment they deserved and weakening public confidence in government.
He said the protection of schools must become a national security priority, insisting that no country could genuinely aspire to sustainable development while fear replaces learning in its classrooms.
The two-hour discourse, organised in collaboration with the National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity), drew participants from across Nigeria and the diaspora, with contributors agreeing that the time had come for government to move beyond reactive responses and adopt a holistic, intelligence-driven strategy capable of permanently reclaiming Nigeria’s classrooms from criminal elements.
Boiling Point Extra, a new addition to the widely acclaimed public affairs programme, Boiling Point Arena, founded by a veteran journalist, Ayo Arowojolu, was transmitted via Zoom and broadcast live on multiple partner radio stations.
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