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The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) says it had set to develop a comprehensive security master plan for tertiary institutions nationwide.
The Chairman, Board of trustees (TETFund), Rt. Hon. Aminu Masari made this known at the opening ceremony of a two-days workshop on campus security towards the development of a security master plan for tertiary institutions in Abuja on Tuesday.
Masari outlined the various threats faced by tertiary institutions, including banditry, kidnapping, and cyber intrusions.
He said that the master plan aimed to enhance threat prevention, detection, and response capabilities.
According to him, discussions around the workshop will cover various aspects of campus security, including intelligence gathering and emergency response mechanisms.
He stressed shared responsibility of campus security among government, security agencies, administrators, students, staff, and communities was paramount in addressing the problem.
He also described the workshop as a critical national document that would shape campus security policies and operations.
“What we begin here today is not merely another conference. It is a foundational step in developing a comprehensive, forward looking security master plan for tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
“This master plan is expected to establish a security of time framework for all time sharing institutions to transcend institutional capacity for threat prevention, detection, mitigation and response.
“It is to promote intelligence led security operations and proactive risk management, protect students, staff, facilities, infrastructure and intellectual assets.
“Deepen collaboration between institutions, security agencies and host communities institutionalised emergency preparedness, crisis management and business continuity protocols and integrate modern, physical and digital security technologies into campus operation.
“These deliberations are not theoretical. They form the building blocks of the national framework that will guide campus security policies, investments and operations for years to come,” he said.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, noted that some campuses were porous and easily invaded, making them attractive targets for criminals.
Echono recalled a previous mapping exercise to identify high-risk areas and establish emergency response mechanisms.
He said there was the need to interface with various agencies and units in case of a security breach, ensuring clear communication channels.
He also stressed the importance of having clear communication channels to alert and respond to security breaches, involving agencies like the military, police, and Civil Defense.
He highlighted the need for immediate action and not waiting for incidents to occur, mentioning previous efforts to improve infrastructure.
The explained that the reaction and prevention strategies were however crucial to eliminating the problems and not just the infrastructure.
“We need to sensitise each and every one of you that this risk is real criminal elements out there wanting to invade our campuses, and campuses provide a particular attraction because a huge collection of vulnerable people.
“And it is not helped by the fact that some of our institutions are so porous they can easily be invaded.
“Those high risk areas we identified and see how you can have some emergency response mechanism.
“This is only the first layer that is there, at the security layer at the source. Naturally, you know you have to interface with so many other agencies and units in the events of such an occurrence,” he said.
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