Tertiary institutions across Nigeria have been instructed to immediately expel any student proved to have participated in violent crimes, including abduction.
The directive was issued by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during a meeting with the Governing Council and management of the Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State. Led by Pro-Chancellor Lola Akande, the session addressed campus security, student welfare, infrastructure, and ongoing higher education reforms following concerns over off-campus kidnappings linked to students.
“If you tolerate bad behaviour for too long, it becomes a culture,” Alausa warned. “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.”
Beyond strict disciplinary measures, the Federal Government plans to enhance campus safety by funding perimeter fencing and critical infrastructure via the Tertiary Education Trust Fund’s 2027 intervention package. Support will also extend to expanding solar power generation and battery storage under the Energising Education Programme, run alongside the Federal Ministry of Power.
Reiterating President Bola Tinubu’s strict anti-ransom policy, Alausa stressed that the government will not negotiate with abductors. “Yielding to criminal demands only emboldens criminal elements and undermines national efforts to combat insecurity,” he noted, emphasizing that the state has a fundamental duty to safeguard innocent citizens and preserve schools as centres of learning.
To bolster national coverage, the minister revealed he recently met with Defence Minister Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.) to align strategies on the Safe Schools Initiative. Institutional leaders have been ordered to upgrade internal intelligence operations and maintain tight coordination with the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security forces.