Ondo indigenes advocate security training in schools over rising insecurity

A group of Ondo State indigenes living in France has called on the state government to include security training in the education curriculum of the state to enable the students at all levels to have military skills and security awareness.

The group under the auspices of the Ondo State Indigenes in Diaspora, France chapter, said this was necessary in the light of insecurity in the country, as it is particularly affecting the schools.

This was contained in an open letter to the state governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent on Friday.

It was signed by the Coordinator of the group, Mr Akintoye Ogundoju.

According to the letter, the group stressed the need for security training for the students at all levels, saying the current state of the country “demands proactive measures to equip our younger generation with essential military skills and security awareness.”

The letter read, “The alarming rate of insecurity in Nigeria underscores the importance of fostering a culture of vigilance, resilience, and self-defense among our citizens.

“By integrating military skills and security awareness into the curriculum and syllabus of students at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, we can empower them to recognise, respond to, and mitigate security threats effectively. Ignorance in matters of security is a luxury we can no longer afford.”

The group also emphasized that such training in the education system would equip students with knowledge about personal and community safety measures.

The training would enable students to have basic self-defence techniques and emergency response strategies, instill a sense of civic duty to contribute to the security of their immediate environment, and build confidence and mental toughness in them to face challenges in a rapidly changing world.

“This initiative aligns with global best practices, where nations prioritiee the safety of their citizens from a young age. Security education should not be seen as a luxury but as a necessity, especially in a country grappling with multifaceted security challenges. By nurturing security consciousness in our youth, we are investing in a safer future for Ondo State and Nigeria at large.

“I urge the state government to take swift and deliberate action to implement this proposal. We must act now to safeguard the lives and futures of our children.”

He also appealed to the government to let Ondo State be a trailblazer in that regard, to set an example for other states to follow.

The report that the Commander of the state Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, said, in light of insecurity and kidnapping of school children in some parts of the country, the corps was making frantic efforts to ensure that the state is safe from terrorist attack.

He stated that the command had commenced the patrol of schools, particularly the boarding schools across the state.

In the wake of this recent outcry of security breaches and kidnapping, the corps has commenced full enhanced patrol of all boarding schools in the state. In the last week, we’ve visited so many of the schools,” Adeleye said.

culled from punch