Senate Pushes FG to Recruit 100,000 Troops, Probe Safe Schools Programme Amid Rising Insecurity

The Senate on Tuesday intensified calls on the Federal Government to revamp Nigeria’s security framework, urging President Bola Tinubu to approve the immediate recruitment of 100,000 new military personnel to tackle insurgency, banditry, and the surge in school abductions nationwide.

Lawmakers also demanded a thorough investigation into the Safe Schools Programme, questioning how funds allocated to the initiative have been utilized despite repeated attacks on educational institutions. Their concerns were heightened by Monday’s deadly raid on Government Girls School in Maga, Kebbi State, where gunmen killed the vice-principal and reportedly abducted 25 students.

During plenary, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) led calls for the recruitment drive and a comprehensive security audit, warning that the scale of insecurity requires a strategic expansion of the armed forces. “I urged the President and the armed forces to recruit an additional 100,000 military personnel so we can have enough members in our troops. It is also another way to create employment for our youthful population,” he said. Oshiomhole criticized the commercialization of national security and demanded accountability for Safe School funds, advocating for enhanced technological capacity for security agencies.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio supported the call for new troops and the probe, cautioning against politicizing insecurity and extending condolences to victims of the Maga school attack. He stressed that crime affects all citizens regardless of administration, emphasizing that “all lives matter.”

Checks reveal that the Federal Government allocated a total of N144.7 billion to the Safe Schools Initiative between 2023 and 2026, with N82.9 billion assigned to security agencies for arms, equipment, training, and operational activities. The government’s contribution is N119.83 billion, while states are expected to provide N24.93 billion.

The initiative, launched in 2014 in response to the Chibok abductions, currently has 11,550 registered schools under the National Safe Schools Response and Coordination Centre’s monitoring platform. Assistant Commandant General Emmanuel Ocheja confirmed that technological upgrades—including drones, advanced command systems, and early-warning monitoring—are being implemented, though further funding and state government support are essential.

Ocheja highlighted the importance of training school guards and local vigilantes as part of a broader strategy to strengthen security. He praised the contributions of Commandant General Prof. Ahmed Audi to the initiative, noting that continued investment is crucial to ensure all schools are secured by 2026.