Federal Government has directed Vice-Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts of tertiary institutions across the country to expel any student found guilty of involvement in kidnapping or related criminal activities after due investigation.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, gave the directive during a meeting with the leadership of Federal University of Lafia in Abuja.
Alausa also instructed heads of tertiary institutions to strengthen intelligence gathering on campuses and deepen collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to improve the safety of students.
According to the minister, recent incidents involving students outside university campuses underscore the need for stronger security measures.
“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 stressed that students found culpable of planning or participating in kidnapping should not remain in tertiary institutions.
“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,” he said.
The minister reiterated the Federal Government’s policy against negotiating with kidnappers or paying ransom, noting that such actions could encourage more criminal activities.
He disclosed that the government plans to support campus security infrastructure through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) 2027 intervention programme.
According to him, the intervention will include funding for perimeter fencing and other security projects aimed at improving safety across tertiary institutions.
Alausa added that the government is also expanding the Energising Education Programme by increasing solar power generation and battery storage to provide more reliable electricity for higher institutions.
Earlier, the Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lafia, Lola Fibisola Akande, disclosed that some students of the institution were suspected of involvement in kidnapping activities carried out off campus.
She identified inadequate hostel accommodation, poor electricity supply and insecurity as major challenges confronting the university.
Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Mohammed Isa Kida, commended the minister’s ongoing reforms in the education sector and appealed for the extension of the Energising Education Programme to the university’s second campus.
The Federal Government has continued to implement measures aimed at improving security and learning conditions in tertiary institutions while addressing criminal activities affecting students and educational facilities.
