Expel students involved in kidnapping, FG orders varsities
The Federal Government has directed vice-chancellors, rectors and provosts across the country to immediately dismiss any student found culpable, after due investigation, of involvement in kidnapping or other violent crimes, as part of fresh measures to strengthen security across tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, gave the directive on Tuesday during a meeting with the Governing Council and management of the Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, where concerns were raised over the alleged involvement of some students in off-campus kidnapping activities.
The meeting, led by the university’s Pro-Chancellor, Lola Akande, focused on campus security, infrastructure, student welfare and the Federal Government’s ongoing higher education reforms.
A statement signed by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, said Alausa also ordered heads of tertiary institutions to strengthen internal intelligence networks and work closely with the Department of State Services and other security agencies to prevent criminal activities within and around campuses.
According to the minister, institutions must not become safe havens for criminal elements.
“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,” Alausa said.
He added, “Government has a duty to protect innocent citizens and preserve our institutions as centres of learning and excellence.”
The minister said although Nigeria’s universities, polytechnics and colleges of education remained largely safe, recent isolated incidents involving students outside campuses underscored the need for 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 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, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), aimed at developing a coordinated strategy to strengthen the Safe Schools Initiative and improve protection for learners nationwide.
He also reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s directive that no government institution should negotiate with or pay ransom to kidnappers.
“Yielding to criminal demands only emboldens criminal elements and undermines national efforts to combat insecurity,” the minister said, urging governing councils to establish effective intelligence mechanisms and sustain collaboration with the DSS and other security agencies.
Beyond security, Alausa announced that the Federal Government would support security enhancement projects in tertiary institutions through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund’s 2027 intervention programme, including perimeter fencing and other critical security infrastructure.
He also reaffirmed plans to expand the Energising Education Programme in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Power, saying institutions requiring additional electricity capacity could benefit through expanded solar power generation and battery storage.
Earlier, Akande commended the Federal Government for its support for the university but highlighted inadequate hostel accommodation, electricity challenges at the institution’s second campus, and insecurity as major concerns.
She revealed that some students were suspected of participating in kidnapping operations carried out outside the campus, adding that the university strongly opposed the payment of ransom because it would encourage criminality.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mohammed Isa Kida, also praised the minister’s reforms and appealed for the extension of the Energising Education Programme to the university’s second campus, as well as additional office accommodation and staffing.
Responding, Alausa advised the institution to submit formal requests under the relevant intervention programmes, assuring the management that projects meeting established requirements and national priorities would receive due consideration.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to investing in safer schools, stronger institutions and modern infrastructure to build a globally competitive higher education system.
The latest directive comes amid renewed efforts by the Federal Government to improve security in schools following years of attacks on educational institutions by kidnappers and other criminal groups, particularly in northern Nigeria.
In recent months, the Federal Ministry of Education has intensified collaboration with security agencies under the Safe Schools Initiative while pursuing broader reforms aimed at improving access to quality education. The ministry has also prioritised infrastructure upgrades, digital learning, reliable electricity supply through the Energising Education Programme and expanded intervention funding through TETFund as part of the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The meeting with the Federal University of Lafia also comes against the backdrop of growing concerns over criminal activities involving some students outside campuses, prompting the government to insist that tertiary institutions strengthen surveillance, intelligence gathering and disciplinary measures to protect students and preserve the integrity of Nigeria’s higher education system.
