There are reports indicating that N144.77 billion was received by Nigeria’s security agencies to protect Nigerian schools from bandit and terrorist attacks.
The funds were part of the Safe School Initiative budget plan from 2023–2026.
The LEADERSHIP newspaper reported in its Sunday 7th December 2025 edition that the breakdown of contributions shows that the federal government contributed N119.83 billion while the states contributed N24.93 billion.
Year-by-year breakdown shows that N32,588,153,000 was released for 2023, while N36,988,863,050 was earmarked for 2024.
In 2025, a total of N37,157,876,475 was earmarked, while the 2026 budget was N38,033,012,329.
Available records show that a further N82,909,728,970 was allocated to security agencies for the procurement of arms and ammunition, platforms and equipment, staff training, and operational activities.
The report revealed that the federal government would contribute N119.83 billion, while the states were expected to provide N24.93 billion for the project.
The allocation for security agencies indicates that N5,000,000,000 was earmarked for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in 2023, N5,250,000,000 in 2024, N5,512,500,000 in 2025, and N5,788,125,000 in 2026.
For the Defence Headquarters, N4,000,000,000 was allocated in 2023, N200,000,000 in 2024, N4,410,000,000 in 2025, and N4,630,500,000 in 2026.
The amount earmarked for the police was N5,725,000,000 in 2023, N6,011,250,000 in 2024, N6,311,812,500 in 2025, and N6,627,403,125 in 2026.
The Department of State Services (DSS) reportedly got N5,285,950,000 in 2023, N5,550,258,000 in 2024, N5,827,770,900 in 2025, and N6,779,159,445 in 2026.
Despite this investment, at least 10 schools have been attacked in the last year in the country.
The newspaper quoted the Managing Director of Beacon Security and Intelligence Nigeria Ltd, Dr Kabir Adamu, calling for an urgent audit of the Safe School funds in the Ministry of Finance.
“I honestly think that the desk responsible for managing that project in the Ministry of Finance should be audited. Huge sums of money have been released, yet we haven’t seen much progress.
“But again, I think an audit should be conducted. And where there is malfeasance, corruption has been discovered, I think they should be held accountable,” he said.
In his reaction, Group Captain Shehu Sadeeq (rtd) wondered why such amounts over time have failed to secure schools.
He explained that the first attempt at the Safe School Initiative started in 2012 following the abduction of schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State.
“However, the Safe School Initiative was not driven by Nigeria but by the United Nations and other international agencies that felt concerned that schoolchildren had been kidnapped.
“At that initial time, the only places they were concerned about were Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states, where Boko Haram was active.
“They succeeded at that initial phase to transfer some girls from areas where it was felt that there wasn’t enough security, and schools could not continue there. They provided money to transfer those girls to another school. In some other schools, they were able to erect at least minimum physical security,” he said.
Group Captain Shehu Sadeeq explained that the funds were meant to provide walls, fences, wire, and lights in schools, because most of the bandits come at night.
“However, unfortunately, the programme after that initial phase did not get a lot of buy-in from the governments in the states and the federal government.
“So, Gordon Brown went back. That was the end. Unfortunately for us, school kidnappings did not stop.
“After Chibok, we had Dapchi; we had Kangara, Kankara, and so many others.”
He said the escalation of attacks triggered the federal government to join the Safe School Declaration.
“That’s the one that we are in now. Many people say the Safe School Initiative has stopped. It’s the Safe School Declaration that we’re in now. This one is an international engagement because experts found that not only in Nigeria—wherever there is conflict—schools are being attacked.
“So, they decided to bring that programme, and Nigeria joined. By joining that, it means Nigeria will ensure that all schools have minimum protection. What is that minimum protection? At least have a wall. At least have a trained security man, not Baba Mai Gate, an 80-year-old man, but a trained Mai Gate.
“At least, he will have an alarm system, even if it is a simple whistle, that he will blow and tell the children, ‘when you hear me blow the whistle three times, it means there is danger. These are simple things that we are supposed to do.”
He said the Safe School Declaration also mandates that schools be connected with the nearest military camp or police camp, so that if there’s any attack, somebody will send a distress call.
Group Captain Sadeeq went on:“Unfortunately, like everything in Nigeria, we joined the Safe School Declaration just like a jamboree.
“You must have remembered the very elaborate launch that the police did, which was a special school protection squad here in Abuja. You can also remember another big launch that the civil defence also did here in Abuja. In fact, they have a special squad.
“You must have seen a few vehicles with the ‘special school squad’ written on them. But in all the attacks that have happened, have you seen any special school squad responding to the bandits? Apart from that launch that they did, that is where the money is.”
The retired military officer further queried why money meant for the Safe Schools programme would be domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Finance and not the Ministry of Education.
“All over the world, I have attended many meetings about safe schools. You find that in each country, because of international collaboration, it’s the Ministry of Education that runs school safety. And does it not make sense? In Nigeria, how is it that it is the Ministry of Finance that is controlling safe schools? So this is the problem,” he added.
He said taking Safe School funds to the Ministry of Finance also weakens the foundation.
“If you go to the Ministry of Finance, what you see is that even the foundation is already weak. So all that money that you see, they didn’t put it into the actual training of children in village schools. They didn’t erect fences. They just went and bought some motorcycles and shared the money generally without any follow-up. So that is why up to now, Safe School — you hear Safe School, Safe School, Safe School, you hear launching, launching — but in actual sense, local schools are still vulnerable, being attacked, not in Abuja. Schools in Abuja are relatively safe. It’s schools in the villages.”
“It will be difficult for a bandit to come into Abuja and say he will carry students. And that was the agreement: since money is limited; prioritise schools that are in areas with bandit activities.”
Brig Gen Sani Kukasheka Usman (rtd) attributed the failure of the safe school programme to the high level of corruption in the country.
He said the failed school safety programme was not an isolated case but part of a major national problem.
“You know that there is high corruption in this country, right? So, when you are dealing with issues, you don’t isolate others. You must look at it holistically, getting the right people, getting the right structure, and making sure there is consistency in terms of policy.
“And then, of course, you determine — because we operate a dual system of education.”
He said that while the law stipulates that schools must have minimum security protection before getting approval, this was not followed.
“Education is on the concurrent list, even at the government level. But if you want to establish an institution, what sort of security arrangement have you made? What of those regulators? So, there are a lot of wrong things.
“So, if we can pay more serious attention to security issues — which you know, there wouldn’t be any meaningful development without security, and there wouldn’t be security if there were no development; the two of them go hand in glove
