By MUFTAU OGUNYEMI
Dr Hammed Abodunrin, Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Ondo State, has advocated for the training of school children on security to reduce cases of kidnapping in schools.
Abodunrin made this known while officially presenting the command’s officers of the corps’ female special squad to Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs Oladunni Odu, on Tuesday in Akure.
He also advised parents to be vigilant and build security consciousness in the minds of their children.
Abodunrin said that as the operatives attending to security issue in schools, it would go beyond daily and weekly policing.
“We should see it beyond policing them 24/7 because there is the need to teach children to be conscious of their environment.
“On our part, we are going to give the children tips so that they will know how to also handle their own security.
“We are not saying that they should start pursuing armed robbers or bandits, but to know something about personal security.
“As we are teaching our students moral lessons in classes, we should also teach them about security and vigilance, because schools and children have become critical national asset, while human resources are great assets,” he said.
The NSCDC commandant stressed that children were the future of any family as well as the nation, hence the need for them to be security conscious.
“If anything happens on the street of London or New York, within one to two minutes, operatives will get to the roots, not because of technology alone but because they have conscious population.
“That is what we are trying to build upon our population,” he said.
Abodunrin said that the NSCDC Commander-General, Dr Ahmed Audi, established the special squad, in line with the UN 2001 Security Sector Reforms.
He further said that the female special squad would be deployed to various schools in the state to confront any security challenge.
Responding, Odu appreciated the NSCDC commandant-general for establishing the squad, saying that it was a welcome development for women to contribute their quota to nation building.
She called for more women participation in the development of the society, adding that if given the opportunity, women would excel in their various assignments, just as their male counterpart.
“Women are passionate to contribute their quota to whatever the men are doing.
“We are not saying that we want to overtake the men. What we are saying is: just carry us along so that we too can be part of everything you are doing,” she said.
The SSG promised that government would continue to support the security apparatus to ensure that the environment was safe for the citizenry.
“Everybody knows that Ondo State is peaceful; this is because all the security agencies are doing well by ensuring that people go to bed and sleep with their two eyes closed,” she said. (NAN)

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