The Nigerian Senate has launched a full-scale investigation into the Safe School Fund following the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State, intensifying scrutiny over why billions allocated to protect learning environments have failed to stop repeated attacks on schools.
During Tuesday’s plenary, lawmakers also urged President Bola Tinubu to approve the recruitment of at least 100,000 additional military personnel to strengthen the fight against insurgency, banditry and school-targeted violence across the country.
The Senate resolved to set up an ad hoc committee comprising members from its Committees on Finance, Education, Defence, Army and Navy to probe the implementation of the Safe School Programme, including the utilisation of funds, lapses in security and the reasons schools remain exposed to attacks.
Leading the charge, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) called for a sweeping security overhaul, arguing that Nigeria’s worsening insecurity demands urgent expansion of the armed forces. He questioned the whereabouts of funds allocated to protect schools, warning against what he described as the “monetisation of our people’s deaths.”
Oshiomhole further urged the military to adopt advanced technology and tracking devices to locate criminal groups responsible for the growing wave of kidnappings.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, while sympathising with the victims and their families, noted that even developed countries grapple with crime. He stressed, however, that Nigeria’s size and overstretched security architecture require synergy and collaboration across all divides to effectively tackle insecurity.
Earlier in his motion, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi detailed the attack on Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Danko-Wasagu LGA, Kebbi State, where terrorists abducted 25 schoolgirls, killed the vice-principal and injured the principal despite a limited police presence. He warned that repeated attacks on schools discourage parents from educating their children and threaten the future of the nation.
Senators across party lines expressed deep concern.
Senator Sani Musa (Niger East) said Nigeria’s population of over 230 million cannot be secured by just 177,000 military personnel, stressing the need for community cooperation and accountability.
Senator Mohammed Tahir Munguno (Borno North) condemned the abductions as a “reprehensible act” demanding a unified national response.
Senator Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East) lamented the normalisation of kidnappings, blaming fragmented security operations and calling for clear targets and timelines to dismantle criminal networks.
Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong (Cross River South) described the incident as “heartbreaking,” urging the Senate to demand decisive action and hold security agencies accountable.
As the chamber observed a minute of silence for the victims, lawmakers warned that the nation cannot afford another tragedy on the scale of Chibok. They insisted that securing Nigeria’s children must become an urgent national priority.