Alausa orders VCs, rectors, provosts to expel students found guilty of kidnapping

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has directed Vice chancellors, Rectors and Provosts across the country to immediately dismiss any student found culpable of involvement in kidnapping or other related criminal activities after due investigation.

The minister also ordered heads of tertiary institutions to strengthen internal intelligence networks and deepen collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to improve campus security and protect students.

Alausa gave the directive, yesterday, during a meeting with the Pro-Chancellor, Governing Council and management of the Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), Nasarawa State, led by the institution’s Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Adebimpe Adebajo, in Abuja.

The meeting which lasted about two hours focused on campus security, infrastructure development, student welfare and the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms in higher education.

The minister said that universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country remain largely safe, but the recent isolated incidents involving students outside campuses had made it imperative for institutions to improve intelligence gathering and forge closer ties 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 continue to strengthen intelligence gathering and work closely with our security agencies to ensure that students are protected both within and outside our institutions,” he said.

Alausa disclosed that he recently held a strategic meeting with the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), to develop a coordinated framework for strengthening the Safe Schools Initiative and enhancing security in educational institutions nationwide.

He also reiterated the Federal Government’s position against the payment of ransom to kidnappers, stressing that complying with criminal demands only emboldens perpetrators and undermines national efforts to combat insecurity.

The minister insisted that governing councils and heads of tertiary institutions must establish effective internal intelligence mechanisms, sustain close collaboration with the DSS and other security agencies, and take decisive disciplinary action against anyone who poses a threat to the safety of students.

“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.

On infrastructure, Alausa announced that the Federal Government would support security enhancement projects in tertiary institutions through the TETFund 2027 intervention programme, including perimeter fencing and other critical security facilities.

He urged eligible institutions to submit requests early for consideration, and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding the Energising Education Programme in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Power.

He explained that institutions requiring additional electricity capacity could benefit from the expansion of existing solar infrastructure through increased power generation and battery storage.

Earlier, the Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lafia, Dr. Adebajo, commended the minister for his continued support for the institution but identified student accommodation, electricity supply to the university’s second campus and insecurity as major challenges confronting the university.

She disclosed that some students were suspected to have been involved in kidnapping activities carried out off-campus, adding that recent incidents had heightened security concerns.

Adebajo maintained that the university opposed the payment of ransom to secure the release of kidnapped victims, warning that such actions would encourage criminality.

Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Mohammed Isa Kida, praised the minister for what he described as bold reforms aimed at repositioning Nigeria’s education sector.

Kida appealed to the Federal Government to extend the Energising Education Programme to the institution’s second campus and requested additional office accommodation and increased staffing to improve teaching, research and administration.

Responding, Alausa advised the university to submit formal requests under the relevant intervention programmes, assuring the management that projects meeting the required criteria and aligned with national priorities would receive due consideration.

The minister reaffirmed the Tinubu administration’s commitment to investing in safer schools, stronger institutions and modern infrastructure, saying the Ministry of Education would continue working with security agencies, governing councils and other stakeholders to ensure campuses remain safe and conducive for learning.