The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has directed Vice Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts of Nigerian Higher Institutions across Nigeria to dismiss any student found guilty of kidnapping or related criminal activities after due investigation.
The directive was contained in a statement issued by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, following a meeting between Alausa and the Governing Council and Management of the Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State.
According to the statement, the Minister also instructed heads of tertiary institutions to strengthen internal intelligence gathering and work closely with the Department of State Services, DSS, and other security agencies to improve campus security and protect students.
Speaking during the meeting, Alausa said while Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education remained largely safe, recent security incidents involving students outside campuses showed the need for stronger surveillance and intelligence.
“If you tolerate bad behaviour for too long, it becomes a culture. Any student found culpable, after due investigation, of planning or participating in the kidnapping of fellow students has no place in our tertiary institutions. Such individuals must be dismissed. Our campuses must never become safe havens for criminal elements,” the Minister said.
He disclosed that he recently held a strategic meeting with the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa rtd, aimed at strengthening the Safe Schools Initiative and improving security for learners across the country.
The Minister also reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s position that government institutions must not negotiate with kidnappers or pay ransom, warning that such actions only encourage criminal groups and undermine efforts to tackle insecurity.
As part of measures to improve campus safety, Alausa announced that TETFund’s 2027 intervention programme would support security enhancement projects, including perimeter fencing and other critical security infrastructure in tertiary institutions.
Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lafia, Lola Fibisola Akande, raised concerns over student accommodation, electricity supply at the university’s second campus and security challenges.
She disclosed that some students were suspected to have links to kidnapping activities carried out outside the campus, stressing that the university strongly opposed the payment of ransom to secure the release of abducted victims.
