By Janet Salihu
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa,has directed all Vice Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts across Nigeria to immediately expel any student found guilty of kidnapping or related criminal offences after due investigation, as part of a renewed effort to rid tertiary institutions of criminal elements and strengthen campus security nationwide.
The Minister gave the directive during a meeting with the Governing Council and Management of the Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), led by the institution’s Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Mrs. Adebimpe Adebajo, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting, which focused on campus security, infrastructure, student welfare and ongoing reforms in higher education, also examined concerns over reports linking some students to criminal activities outside university campuses.
Dr. Alausa stressed that while Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education remain largely safe, recent isolated incidents demand stronger intelligence gathering and closer collaboration with security agencies.
“We have a collective responsibility to protect every Nigerian child, from primary school to tertiary education. While our campuses remain safe, we must strengthen intelligence gathering and work closely with security agencies to ensure students are protected both within and outside our institutions,” the Minister said.
He directed heads of tertiary institutions to establish robust internal intelligence mechanisms and maintain close collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to detect and prevent criminal activities.
According to him, any student found culpable of planning or participating in the kidnapping of fellow students should have no place in any Nigerian tertiary institution.
“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,” he stated.
The Minister disclosed that he recently held a strategic meeting with the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (Rtd.), to develop a coordinated national strategy aimed at strengthening the Safe Schools Initiative and enhancing security across educational institutions.
He also reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive that no government institution should negotiate with kidnappers or pay ransom, warning that such actions only encourage criminality and undermine efforts to combat insecurity.
On infrastructure, Dr. Alausa announced that the Federal Government would support security enhancement projects through the TETFund 2027 intervention programme, including perimeter fencing and other critical security facilities. He urged eligible institutions to submit their proposals early for consideration.
The Minister further reaffirmed government’s commitment to expanding the Energising Education Programme in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Power, explaining that institutions requiring additional electricity supply could benefit from the expansion of existing solar power infrastructure through increased generation capacity and battery storage.
Earlier, the Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lafia, Dr. Mrs. Adebimpe Adebajo, commended the Minister for his consistent support to the institution while highlighting challenges facing the university, including inadequate hostel accommodation, poor electricity supply to the second campus and security concerns.
She revealed that investigations had raised suspicions that some students were involved in kidnapping activities carried out off campus, adding that the university strongly opposes the payment of ransom, describing it as a practice that emboldens criminals.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mohammed Isa Kida, also praised the Minister’s reform agenda and appealed for the extension of the Energising Education Programme to the university’s second campus, alongside additional office accommodation and increased staffing to improve teaching, research and administration.
Responding, Dr. Alausa advised the university to submit formal requests under the relevant intervention programmes, assuring the institution that projects meeting government requirements and national priorities would receive due consideration.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to building a safer, globally competitive and innovation-driven higher education system through sustained investment in security, infrastructure and institutional development, while assuring Nigerians that the Ministry would continue working with governing councils and security agencies to keep campuses safe and conducive for learning.
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