In response to the escalating insecurity surrounding the abduction of school children in Nigeria, the Federal Government is gearing up to introduce electronic identity cards equipped with chip card technology in schools.
This initiative aims to combat the growing threat and enhance the safety of students across the nation.
Hajia Halima Ibrahim, the National Coordinator (Financing) of the Safe Schools Project, disclosed this crucial development during an episode of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television.
Emphasizing the urgency of the situation, Ibrahim outlined that the digital identity cards would enable school children facing danger to promptly alert the Safe School Response Centre, housed at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) office in Abuja. Plans are also underway to establish such Response Centres throughout the country.
Ibrahim emphasized that ensuring the security of schools and pupils is a collective responsibility, urging an all-society approach.
She highlighted the collaboration of various stakeholders, including the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Department of State Services, Defence, NSCDC, and Ministries of Education at both central and state levels, in the working group for the Safe Schools Plan.
Proposing the incorporation of chips on the mandatory school identity cards, Ibrahim stated, “This is the digital age. If you see something, you say something. You can just press your ID card, and it signals the response centre.”
She suggested that private schools could implement this for their students, while the government collaborates with the private sector to extend the initiative to public school students.
Ibrahim revealed that commitments have already been made in the 2024 budget by governors, including those of Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, towards this innovative security measure, potentially benefiting over 160,000 schools nationwide.
The host, Laolu Akande, acknowledged the potential game-changing impact of issuing Digital Alert ID-Cards to school children across the country.
The urgency of this security enhancement comes in the wake of the recent abduction of pupils and staff members from Apostolic Faith School in Ekiti State on January 29, 2024.
Although they were later freed after about a week, the incident underscores the severity of the issue, with insurgents collecting hefty ransoms for the release of abducted children.
This incident adds to the distressing series of kidnappings, from Chibok to Dapchi, Kankara, Kagara, and others in Kaduna, where terrorists have seized thousands of school children in mass kidnappings, causing global outrage.
While some students regain freedom, others remain perpetually detained in the enclaves of their abductors, subjected to abuse.
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