The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday urged President Bola Tinubu to approve the recruitment of 100,000 fresh military personnel to combat the rising tide of insurgency, banditry, and school abductions across the country.
Lawmakers also unanimously demanded a full investigation into the nation’s Safe School Programme, questioning how allocated funds were spent despite continued attacks on educational facilities.
The push for a security audit and troop expansion was sparked by the recent attack on the Government Girls' Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, where gunmen reportedly killed a vice-principal and abducted 25 students.
The demand followed a debate triggered by Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North), who warned that the scale of insecurity required a strategic expansion of the armed forces, noting that the enlistment would also create employment for youth.
"What happened to the money earmarked for the Safe School Programme?" Oshiomhole asked, stressing that security should not be monetized.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio endorsed both the call for 100,000 recruits and the probe of the Safe School Programme spending.
While cautioning against politicizing insecurity, Akpabio offered condolences to the victims of the Kebbi attack and supported the call to deploy enhanced technology and tracking devices against criminals.
Despite Nigeria endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration in 2015, the country has continued to suffer a decade-long pattern of assaults on schools, prompting the legislative action.
