The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has begun work on a wide-ranging security master plan aimed at improving safety across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria.
TETFund’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Aminu Masari, disclosed this on Tuesday at the opening of a two-day workshop in Abuja, where stakeholders gathered to discuss the proposed framework.
Masari expressed concern that tertiary institutions have become increasingly vulnerable to different forms of security threats, including banditry, kidnapping, and cyberattacks. According to him, the new master plan is designed to significantly strengthen prevention, early detection, and emergency response in these institutions.
He emphasised that the framework being developed would serve as a powerful national document capable of shaping campus security operations for years to come.
“What we are starting today is not just another meeting,” Masari said. “This is the foundation for a comprehensive, forward-looking security master plan for all tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
“The plan will enhance institutions’ capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to threats. It will promote intelligence-driven security, proactive risk management, and protection of students, staff, infrastructure, and intellectual assets.”
He added that the master plan would also encourage closer collaboration between schools, security agencies, and host communities, while strengthening emergency preparedness and integrating modern digital and physical security technologies.
TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, also raised alarm over the vulnerability of many campuses, describing them as “porous” and easy targets for criminals.
Echono recalled that a previous mapping exercise had already identified high-risk zones and set up some emergency response mechanisms. However, he stressed that more robust coordination among security agencies such as the military, police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps was urgently needed.
“We need everyone to understand that the security threat is real,” he warned. “Criminals see campuses as attractive because they are populated with large numbers of vulnerable people. The porosity of some of our institutions makes them even easier targets.”
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