Security expert, Group Captain Sadeeq Shehu (Rtd), says the Kebbi schoolgirls’ abduction exposes a catastrophic failure of Nigeria’s Safe School programme, warning that Governor Nasir Idris’ allegation of troop withdrawal minutes before the attack is “too serious to ignore” and must be fully investigated.
Shehu, in an interview with ARISE News on Friday said that Governor Idris’ public claim — that soldiers stationed near the area were withdrawn shortly before bandits struck — was “a very strong allegation that cannot be dismissed with a press statement.”
“If he has made such a damning statement, it must be followed through,” he said.
“Detection worked this time — early warning was received. But if soldiers were withdrawn minutes before the attack, it is something that must be investigated to the end.”
He explained that protecting schools involves five layers of security, beginning with detection, and noted that the state had successfully identified bandit movement in the area before the incident.
“The surprising thing is that the first layer — detection — worked,” Shehu said.
**“But if after detecting bandit activity schools were told to be on 24/7 alert, and security operatives were then withdrawn, that is a very serious matter.”
Shehu criticised Nigeria’s long-running failure to implement the Safe School Declaration, launched with international support after the Chibok abduction.
“The Safe School Declaration has remained a slogan,”he said.
“We saw high-profile launches by the police and civil defence, but the truth is that these special units are not visible in the schools that need protection.”
He faulted both federal and state authorities for being consistently reactive rather than proactive.
“Since Chibok in 2014, then Dapchi, and many others, we should have learnt our lessons,” he said.
“Government talks about funding, but lawmakers do not follow the money. Many schools, especially in rural areas, remain exposed.”
Responding to suggestions that remote schools should be shut down, Shehu warned that the idea contradicts the purpose of the Safe School policy.
“Education is too important to shut down,” he said.
“These attacks happen in communities that are already educationally disadvantaged. Safe School measures were designed so that learning continues, even under threat.”
He added that civil defence authorities had already categorised schools by risk level but lacked the resources to deploy adequately.
Shehu emphasised that this incident presents a rare opportunity to uncover what went wrong and finally dismantle the culture of conspiracy theories around insurgency.
“For 15 years we have heard conspiracy theories — white men dropping arms, NGOs supplying weapons, none of which ever led to anything,” he said.
“But this time, a sitting governor has made a clear allegation. If this is followed to its logical end, we may finally understand the roots of these failures.”
He concluded by insisting that Nigeria cannot afford another decade of repeated tragedies.
“We have been doing the wrong things for too long,” Shehu said.
“If this allegation is properly investigated, it could be the beginning of finally fixing the system.”
Boluwatife Enome.
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