The Senate has summoned the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, to appear before its Ad hoc Committee investigating the collapse of the Safe School Initiative.
The summons was issued on Wednesday during the committee’s inaugural meeting chaired by Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, where members adopted their work plan.
The move follows fresh outrage over worsening attacks on schools, including the recent abduction of 25 female students in Kebbi and more than 200 others in Niger State.
Aside from the Ministers of Finance and Education, the committee will also summon the Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Christopher Musa, the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr Mohammed Audi, and representatives of school proprietors.
Kalu vowed that the Senate would unravel all issues surrounding the initiative’s implementation and ensure full accountability. He noted that over 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped and 180 educational facilities attacked since 2014, calling the situation unacceptable for a nation committed to child safety.
“It is unacceptable that our schools remain soft targets for terrorists and kidnappers,” he said.
Kalu added that the committee would audit every fund allocated to the initiative.
“We will track every naira and every dollar allocated to the Safe School Initiative, some of which were the $30 million mobilised between 2014 and 2021, aside the latest N144 billion released for the initiative by the federal government.”
“Nigerians deserve to know why, in spite of the enormous investment and global support, our schools remain unsafe,” he said
He also stated that the committee will undertake a comprehensive financial and operational audit, engaging federal ministries, state governments, security agencies, and civil society partners.
The Safe School Initiative, launched in 2014 after the Chibok abduction, is a federal programme designed to protect students and schools in Nigeria from attacks and kidnappings. It aims to ensure children in conflict-affected areas can continue their education safely without fear.
To coordinate SSI, a National Safe School Secretariat/Unit was established under the federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning. This Secretariat oversees planning, financing, monitoring and coordination. A technical working group comprising various ministries, security agencies, state and local representation and other stakeholders was formed to handle the development and execution of the national plan.
In December 2022, the government announced a total investment of roughly N144.8 billion over four years (2023–2026). The plan projects incremental annual funding allocations for each year: N32.58 billion for 2023, N36.98 billion for 2024, N37.15 billion for 2025 and N38.03 billion for 2026.
In 2023 specifically, N15 billion was released to support the first phase of implementation. The plan’s medium‑term strategy is to cover 50% of the most at‑risk public schools in Nigeria over the 2023–2026 period. Implementation started with 18 high‑risk states and 48 identified schools, with a target to expand coverage in subsequent years.
In November 2025, a major attack occurred at St. Mary’s Catholic School in the Papiri community of Niger State. Gunmen stormed the school and abducted 303 pupils and 12 teachers, one of the worst mass kidnappings in recent memory.
Just days earlier, attackers also struck Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi State, where 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped, and the school’s vice principal was killed. These two attacks are part of a wider pattern showing a surge in mass school kidnappings across Nigeria.
Just days earlier, attackers also struck Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi State, where 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped, and the school’s vice principal was killed. These two attacks are part of a wider pattern showing a surge in mass school kidnappings across Nigeria.
According to reports by the Save the Children International between April 2014 and December 2022, around 70 attacks on schools in Nigeria resulted in 1,683 students being abducted, more than 180 children killed, 90 injured, over 90 still missing, and about 60 school staff members kidnapped and 14 killed. Twenty-five school buildings were reportedly destroyed during that period
Since January 2024, at least 10 attacks on schools in Nigeria have affected more than 670 children.