The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has directed Vice Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts across Nigeria to immediately dismiss any student found culpable, after due investigation, of involvement in kidnapping or related criminal activities.
The minister also ordered heads of tertiary institutions to strengthen internal intelligence systems and deepen collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to enhance campus security and protect students nationwide.
Alausa issued the directive during a meeting with the Pro-Chancellor, Governing Council and Management of the Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), Nasarawa State, led by the institution’s Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Adebimpe Adebajo, in Abuja.
The two-hour meeting focused on campus security, infrastructure development, student welfare and the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms in the higher education sector.
While noting that Nigeria’s universities, polytechnics and colleges of education remain largely safe, the minister said recent isolated incidents involving students outside campuses underscored the need for stronger intelligence gathering and closer collaboration with security agencies.
“We have a collective responsibility to protect every Nigerian child, from primary school to tertiary education. While our campuses remain safe, we must continue to strengthen intelligence gathering and work closely with our security agencies to ensure that students are protected both within and outside our institutions,” Alausa said.
The minister disclosed that he recently held a strategic meeting with the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (Rtd), to develop a coordinated framework for strengthening the Safe Schools Initiative and enhancing the protection of learners across the country.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for providing the political will, leadership and resources needed to improve national security while advancing far-reaching reforms in the education sector.
According to him, the administration remains committed to ensuring that every Nigerian child has access to quality education in a safe and conducive learning environment.
Reiterating President Tinubu’s directive that government institutions must neither negotiate with nor pay ransom to kidnappers, Alausa warned that yielding to criminal demands only emboldens criminal groups and undermines national efforts to tackle insecurity.
He consequently directed governing councils and heads of tertiary institutions to establish effective internal intelligence mechanisms, sustain close collaboration with the DSS and other security agencies, and take decisive disciplinary action against anyone found threatening the safety of students.
“If you tolerate bad behaviour for too long, it becomes a culture. Any student found culpable, after due investigation, of planning or participating in the kidnapping of fellow students has no place in our tertiary institutions. Such individuals must be dismissed. Our campuses must never become safe havens for criminal elements,” the minister declared.
On infrastructure, Alausa announced that the Federal Government would support security enhancement projects in tertiary institutions through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) 2027 intervention programme, including perimeter fencing and other critical security facilities.
He urged eligible institutions to submit their proposals early for consideration.
The minister also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding the Energising Education Programme in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Power, explaining that institutions requiring additional electricity capacity could benefit from expanded solar power infrastructure, including increased generation and battery storage.
Earlier, the Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lafia, Dr. Adebimpe Adebajo, commended the minister for his continued support for the institution while highlighting key challenges, including inadequate hostel accommodation, poor electricity supply to the university’s second campus and security concerns.
She disclosed that some students were suspected to have been involved in kidnapping activities carried out outside the campus, adding that recent incidents pointed to such involvement.
Adebajo stressed that the university strongly opposed the payment of ransom for kidnapped victims, warning that such actions would only encourage criminality.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Mohammed Isa Kida, also praised the minister for his education reforms and unwavering commitment to repositioning Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
He appreciated the Federal Government’s continued support and appealed for the extension of the Energising Education Programme to the university’s second campus, while also requesting additional office accommodation and increased staffing to enhance teaching, research and administrative efficiency.
Responding, Alausa advised the university to submit formal requests under the appropriate intervention programmes, assuring the institution that projects meeting established requirements and national priorities would receive due consideration.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to investing in safer schools, stronger institutions and modern infrastructure to build a globally competitive, innovation-driven higher education system capable of supporting national development.
The minister assured Nigerians that the Ministry of Education would continue working closely with security agencies, governing councils and other stakeholders to ensure campuses remain safe, students are protected and institutions are empowered to deliver quality teaching, impactful research and sustainable national development.
