The Oyo State House of Assembly has called for the deployment of trained security personnel to schools across the state following growing concerns over insecurity and recent attacks targeting educational institutions.
The resolution followed a motion moved by a member of the Assembly, Oluwafowokanmi, who expressed concern over recent security breaches around schools, particularly the disturbing incident in Oriire Local Government Area.
According to the lawmaker, the attack has heightened fears over the safety of students, teachers and school facilities, especially as public schools continue to face threats such as kidnapping, vandalism, cult-related violence and other criminal activities.
Oluwafowokanmi warned that the worsening insecurity situation could discourage parents and guardians from enrolling their children in public schools, particularly those from low-income families who depend largely on government-owned institutions for education.
“What then will be the hope of children of the less privileged and low-income earners whose only available means of education lies in public schools?” he queried.
“At this moment, we cannot afford to keep silent on the need to take proactive security measures that would prevent the recurrence of the Oriire school attack elsewhere in Oyo State,” he added.
The lawmaker stressed that deploying trained security personnel to schools, especially those in rural communities and areas bordering forests, would strengthen surveillance, improve intelligence gathering and ensure a rapid response to security threats.
He noted that such measures would help restore the confidence of parents and guardians while ensuring that fear and insecurity do not deny children access to education.
Following deliberations, the Assembly commended Governor Seyi Makinde for his continued support for security agencies and the Amotekun Corps in safeguarding lives and property across the state.
The lawmakers unanimously urged the Executive Arm of Government, through the Amotekun Corps, to begin the phased deployment of trained security personnel to both public and private primary and secondary schools, with priority given to schools located in rural communities, border areas and locations adjoining forest reserves.
The House also directed the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) to collaborate with the Amotekun Corps and other security agencies to conduct comprehensive security audits of public schools across the state.
As part of broader efforts to strengthen school safety, the Assembly further called for the establishment of a School Security Initiative that would provide schools with dedicated security personnel, communication gadgets, emergency alert systems and other security infrastructure.
